Europe has
dominated entries for the 2017 International Table Tennis Federation, ITTF,
Challenge Nigeria Open, as 10 countries registered before the July 10 deadline.
The
championship is scheduled for August 9 to 13 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of
the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
A statement
by the ITTF Media Department said that Europe dominated the list of entries as
10 countries confirmed their participation, while eight African nations were
also listed.
“Asia has
three countries, while Latin America has one.
“The
European teams are France, Bulgaria, Finland, Russia, Italy, Portugal, Romania,
Hungary, Scotland, and Ukraine.
“Nigeria, as
well as its continental rival, Egypt will lead the African teams, while others
are Algeria, Congo-Brazzaville, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, Ghana and South
Africa.
“From Asia
are India, Qatar and South Korea, while Latin America will be represented by
Argentina,’’ the statement said.
It also said
that the tournament has set a new record as it has the largest turnout of over
22 countries, including Nigeria, beating the registration deadline on July 10.
It added
that no fewer than 148 players made up of 95 men and 53 women would compete for
the $46,000 prize money.
The
statement said that the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has attributed the
large turnout of teams to the popularity of the championships among players
across the globe.
It stated
that this was the first time the Nigeria Open will be having such a large
number of foreigners competing at the five-day championships.
The ITTF
said the tournament helps players to amass points for their world ranking.
It also said
that as a legacy of the tournament, the LOC would offer two media internships
for interested undergraduates (male and female) in Nigeria’s tertiary
institutions, to undergo training at the five-day competition.
The LOC
explained that the candidates will have full access to all players and assist
the media team in providing service during the championships.
It added
that the tournament would provide an exceptional rewarding experience for the
selected candidates.
(NAN)
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