7th June, 2023
By Ijeoma Okigbo
Nigeria’s table tennis icon, Quadri Aruna, has explained why he cannot participate in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender in Lagos.
In a video post on his Instagram handle @quadriaruna on Tuesday, Aruna said the development was due to club engagements.
“Nothing is as good as playing in front of my home fans and it’s always fun getting support from them year after year.
“I am really sorry that I won’t be able to make the WTT Contender in Lagos next week due to my club engagements.
“I really hope that all of you (fans) will support my compatriots and other players participating in the Contender.
“Thank you also for the support over the years and I really hope to see all of you in the next WTT event,” he said.
Aruna lost out in the Round of 32 at the recently-concluded World Table Tennis Championship in Durban, South Africa.
He joined Fakel-Gazprom Orenburg table tennis club of Russia early in the year.
Meanwhile, the tournament is billed for Monday to June 18 at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, with Nigeria presenting a 25-man contingent to compete against their foreign counterparts.
The Contender Series, which is the first in sub-Saharan Africa, will afford players the opportunity to garner ranking points in their quest to pick tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.(NAN)