The Africa Table Tennis
Federation (ATTF) has  said that 32 players with the highest points would participate at the ITTF/Africa Top 16.
The competition is scheduled to hold at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos from June 27 to  28.
President of ATTF, Khaled El-Salhy, said at a press conference in Lagos that the players were made up of 16 male and 16 female.
“The players were carefully selected in May according to the points they had in the ATTF.
‘’Selections are usually made a month before the commencement of the competition,’’ El-Salhy said.
He said that two male and two female players each would represent each country at the tournament.
El-Salhy gave an assurance that players from the same country would not be drawn together in the same group.
Winners in the competition would represent Africa at the World Cup slated for October.
Also at the event, Steve Dainton, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Marketing Director, said the body had been working hard to accommodate continental competitions as proposed by Africa.
He said that it would be a welcome development for Nigeria to host a table tennis World Cup.
“With what I am seeing on ground, Nigeria has what it takes to host a World Cup.
“The federation should look into hosting a World Cup soon,’’ he said.
Dainton said that all the continents in the world were hosting cups to select the winners to the World Cup.
“Table tennis World Cup participants are selected just as it is done in football, only that we started ours not quite long,’’ he said.
1,500 dollars is for winners in both categories, 700 dollars for runners up and 500 dollars for semi finalists.
Nigeria would be represented by Quadri Aruna and Segun Toriola in the male event, while Offiong Edem and Funke Oshonaike would be in the female category.

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