Lagos Commence Preparation for WTT Contender

WTT Contender Series

Lagos Commence Preparation for WTT Contender

Hassan Abdulsalam 19:37 - 25.04.2023

Lagos will be the second African city to host WTT Series.

Ahead of the debut World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender in Lagos, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) has named Kweku Tandoh as the Event Director while the WTT team from Singapore.

The $75,000 prize money tournament takes place from June 12 to 18 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Apart from the prize money, players will be aiming for points for their Paris 2024 Olympic Games qualification.

Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall
The indoor hall of Molade Okoya hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos

Tunisia which had hosted two editions of the WTT Contender, Lagos will be the second African city to host WTT Series.

WTT is the ITTF's commercial arm launched in 2020, and the chair of its Board Liu Guoliang is excited with the new cities staging WTT events.

" Liu said, "World Table Tennis's future shines ever brighter in 2023, further demonstrating the global influence of this sport we love. I hope more cities around the world, especially those beyond the traditional powerhouses, will play host to WTT events, experience the charm of table tennis through that and ultimately attract more people to participate in the sport.

"This has always been our most fundamental goal. ITTF Group chief executive Steve Dainton is encouraged about the sport's prospects for 2023.

"The first two years of World Table Tennis provided a learning experience, and more importantly a launchpad for the future growth that begins now.

"As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to recede, the calendar for World Table Tennis will continue to grow. Providing a worldwide, cutting-edge experience is the goal of World Table Tennis, and this year will show just how much we can deliver."

Aruna will be leading other African players to the championship

The WTT Series features Contender and Star Contender events, Champions events for the best 32 men's and women's singles players and Grand Smashes, concluding with the end-of-season Cup Finals.

However, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Table Tennis Championship Finals are due to be held in Durban, South Africa from May 20 to 28.

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