Quadri Aruna and Funke Oshonaike: Sports Minister showers encomiums on Nigerian Icons

Quadri Aruna and Funke Oshonaike: Sports Minister showers encomiums on Nigerian Icons

Hassan Abdulsalam 06:57 - 19.09.2023

Aruna, who is the tournament’s number one seed, defeated Ahmed Saleh of Egypt 4-0 in the final match to retain his African title.

The Minister of Sports Development, John Owan Enoh, has congratulated Team Nigeria athletes for making the country proud at the 2023 Africa Senior Table Tennis Championships, held in Tunis, Tunisia.

Pulse Sports reports that Africa's top-ranked player, Aruna Quadri, defeated Ahmed Saleh of Egypt 4-0 in the final match to retain his African title.

The victory ensured Quadri retained his African title at the same venue where he lost his Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket due to an injury.

Seven-time Olympian, Funke Oshonaike and West African champion Fatimo Bello won the women's doubles after defeating Cameroon's Sarah Hanffou and Egypt's Marwa Alhodaby 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 7-11, 12-10).

Aruna, who is the tournament’s number one seed defeated Ahmed Saleh of Egypt 4-0 in the final match played on Sunday.

Saluting the energetic Ping pong stars, the Minister said resilience, hard work, strength, and discipline helped the team to win laurels in Tunisia

"On the behalf of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all Nigerians, I heartily congratulate these incredible athletes for bringing glory to the country in far away Tunisia. Defeating all-comers on the continent, in a foreign soil takes resilience, hard work, strength, and discipline. While the path to success has not been easy, their sense of patriotism remained unwavering," he said.

He added, "The Ministry is committed to putting everything in place to ensure that athletes are adequately prepared for championships, with their welfare adequately sorted out too. We understand the need to put athletes in their best shape in and outside competition cycles, and the Ministry will keep working with sports federations to achieve this."

He also congratulated Olajide Omotayo lost in the men's singles semi finals, urging them to take pride in their outings and reflect on their performances.

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