2023 Africa Cup: Quadri Aruna, Fatimo Bello To Lead Nigeria Team

Quadri Aruna and Fatimo Bello will lead the Nigerian table tennis team to the 2023 Africa Cup at the Moi International Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya.

Quadri Aruna is the 2022 Africa Cup runners-up and he is the highest-ranked African table tennis player going into this year’s edition of the tournament.

The Nigerian table tennis star who is ranked 12th in the world is expected to reclaim the title he failed to win in Lagos in 2022 due to an injury. He is expected to be seeded above the reigning winner of the tournament, Omar Assar of Egypt in the men’s singles.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s woman table tennis star Bello will participate on the big stage once more against the best women on the list the African Table Tennis Federation announced ahead of the tournament.

In the 2022 edition of the tournament in Lagos, Bello unexpectedly finished second in the women’s singles. While at the 2023 West Africa Regional Championships in Accra, Ghana, Bello who is a three-time West African champion is currently defending her crown.

At the African Cup, Bello will compete against Hana Goda, the reigning Egyptian champion, and Dina Meshref who has been enjoying a great form in recent months.

Along with Aruna and Bello, Taiwo Mati and Tosin Oribamise will represent Nigeria in the men’s and women’s categories in Kenya from May 4 to 6.