The second edition of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Western Region Championship gets underway Monday (today) at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.

At the four-day event, Nigeria will slug it out with Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, the Benin Republic, Togo and Liberia.

The Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC) chairman, Sola Aiyepeku, said Lagos was ready to host the tournament in compliance with COVID-19 protocols.

“We will do everything to show our visitors ‘This is Lagos’ by ensuring you enjoy your stay in Lagos and partake in an exciting hitch-free tournament,” Mr Aiyepeku stated. “More importantly, creating a veritable platform for our players in Africa to demonstrate and improve their skills will go a long way to continue identifying, promoting and preparing them for future competitions beyond the continent.”

According to the secretary-general, ITTF Africa Western Region, Germain Karou, all was set for the championship as teams had all arrived.

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) also said the stage was set as Nigeria named junior tennis sensation Samuel Boboye alongside Azeez Solanke to spearhead Nigeria’s charge at the championship.

It added that the national female champion, Fatimo Bello, will similarly lead the women’s team at the tournament. Bello will also ward off challenges from Ghana and others in her quest to hold on to her women’s singles title.

Meanwhile, the men’s singles defending champion, Oba Kizito, has flown in from Paris to defend his title.

(NAN)