12th March, 2014
For the first time in recent time, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, (NTTF), has included teenage sensation, Esther Tosin Oribamise in its 10-man team for next month’s World Team Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
Oribamise, 12, was part of the Team Nigeria to the last World Junior Championships in Rabat, Morocco and a member of the African team to the 2013 World Cadet Challenge.
In the team list released by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Oribamise will join her senior compatriots – Funke Oshonaike, Edem Offiong, Cecilia Otu-Akpan and Ganiat Olatunde-Aruna in the women’s. event, while veteran Segun Toriola will lead the men’s team alongside Portugal-based duo of Aruna Quadri and Seun Ajetunmobi.
Also listed in the men’s team are home-based duo of Ojo Onaolapo and Kazeem Makanjuola.
According to NTTF, the inclusion of Oribamise became necessary in order to expose the players early as well as to allow her to mix-up with the experienced players in the team.
The ITTF has seeded Egypt ahead of Nigeria in the seeding for the championship as the North African country is rated 32 and 24 in the women and men seeding respectively.
However, Nigeria’s men and women teams are rated 34 and 39 respectively and they will campaign in division two of the competition.
Meanwhile, over 125 countries have been listed for the tournament and according to ITTF; this is an improvement from the 118 nations that. featured at the 2012 edition in Dortmund, Germany.
No less than 121 men’s and 100 women’s teams will compete in the prestigious tournament which starts in Tokyo on Monday, 28 April to Monday, 5 May, 2014.
The draw for the championship’s Division One, Division Two and Division Three in each of the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events will take place at 1.00pm local time on Saturday, 15 March at the TV Tokyo Studios (No. 1 studio Tranomon 4-3-12, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 105-8012).
Also the draws for Division Four and Division Five in each of the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events will be made; the proposed time is 11.00am on Saturday, 26 April, 2014.