By Simon Asare
Accra, April 28, GNA – Ghana’s female national table tennis team won bronze at the just-ended West African Table Tennis Championship (WTTC) that was staged at the Trust Sports Emporium in Accra, Ghana.
Their male counterparts in the team’s event placed fourth in the WTTC West Africa Regional Championship, which was a qualifier for the African Championship to be staged in Tunisia in September 2023.
Nigeria dominated the team event after its men’s and women’s teams won gold in the four-day championship.
In the singles event, Nigeria’s Omeh Amadi whipped his Ivorian opponent Oba Oba Kizito 4-0 in the finals to win the gold medal, while Akanbi Rilwan and Azez Solanke, all from Nigeria, placed third and fourth respectively.
In the women’s category, Nigeria swept all the medals, with Omeh Amadi taking home the gold medal while Ojomo Ajoki and Oribamise Esther won the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the well-organised championship, Mr. Mawuko Afadzinu, President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), was elated about the successful organisation of the championship and congratulated the Ghanaian team for its success.
“I am very proud of the Ghana team. We set very high standards going into the championship, and we met part of them even though we didn’t fulfil the full mandate. We are excited about the potential of Ghana table tennis, and we believe that what we have done would lay a solid foundation on which we can build.
“I believe that if we are able to host such a championship once a year in the country, the face of table tennis would change for the better, and we are looking at doing this every year,” he said.
Mr. Afadzinu was grateful to the sponsors and the Ministry of Youth and Sports for helping to make this championship a success.
Mr. Ben Nunoo Mensah, President of the Ghana Olympic Committee, lauded the GTTA for the successful organisation of the championship, which witnessed nine competing West African teams.
He noted that the competition had offered Ghana’s team, the Black Loopers, the needed international exposure, especially as they prepare for next year’s Africa Games to be held in Ghana.
Mr Nunoo Mensah congratulated winners from other West African nations, urging them to work hard to compete with the best on the international stages, including the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.
GNA