Nigeria has won the bid to host the 2028 International Table Tennis Federation Africa Championships, beating Tunisia in a vote at the ITTF Africa’s annual general meeting in Tangier, Morocco.

The International Table Tennis Federation Africa confirmed Nigeria’s successful bid to host the 2028 Championships on Thursday.

Nigeria’s organisational skills and experience were key factors in the decision, as 23 of the 38 certified voters supported the West African country.

The contest followed the announcement of host countries for the 2027 and 2028 continental tournaments, with Nigeria and Tunisia emerging as the main contenders for the Africa Championships.

The delegates later agreed to decide the host through voting. A total of 31 delegates were present in person, while seven proxies were certified to cast votes.

After the vote, Nigeria secured 23 votes, while Tunisia garnered 15, conceding the hosting rights to Nigeria.

Other hosts selected at the AGM for 2027 include Libya for the Africa Cup, Algeria for the Africa Championships, Botswana for the Youth event and Nigeria for the Para Championships.

Nigeria will host the Africa Championships in 2028, Rwanda the Youth event and Egypt the Para Championships. The host of the Africa Cup for 2028 is yet to be decided.

Adesoji Tayo, president of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, described the delegates’ confidence in Nigeria as overwhelming. He promised that Nigeria will deliver a world-class tournament in Lagos.

“We want to thank all the delegates for putting their trust in Nigeria to host a befitting tournament in 2028, as well as the African Para Championships in 2027.

“As experienced organisers of major table tennis tournaments in the world, we are poised to deliver a seamless event that continues to attract more people to Nigeria. The city of Lagos will again witness the best of table tennis, and we assure all our visitors that Nigeria will be the place to be in 2028,” he said.

(NAN)