Egypt and Nigeria Compete for the International Table Tennis Federation World Team Cup

The 2018 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African Championship, set to take place in Mauritius from September 3 to 9, has a spot available either for Egypt or Nigeria, and both are neck and neck in the tournaments vying for the position.

Egyptian player Mohammed El-Beiali is confident in his performance, and is planning on leading Egypt’s campaign against Nigeria, both bidding for the ITTF World Team Cup in 2020. Unfortunately, previous Egyptian table tennis star Omar Assar will not be partaking in this year’s competitions, due to his two-month period of absence, and instead, El-Beiali will be taking his place.

“My dreams and goals are to ensure that we did not miss Omar Assar much in the team, particularly when playing against a strong team like Nigeria,” El-Beiali reportedly said.

Assar previously broke the record as first African player to qualify for the top 16 players in the world.

“I must say that Africa has come of age in table tennis with the exploits of Aruna Quadri and Omar Assar. They have set a benchmark for us in the continent and this has accorded us respect in the world. I look forward to an exciting tournament in Mauritius,” El-Beiali added.

Main image from Leadership News.