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The race to determine the players that
will represent Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games taking place in
October begins today as table tennis players across the country have
started arriving in Ibadan ahead of the trials taking place on Thursday
and Friday.

The Secretary of the Nigeria Table
Tennis Federation (NTTF), Segun Oguntade says about 50 players will be
participating in the trials and that 40 players (20 male and 20 female)
will be selected.

He, however, revealed that the 40
players would still be trimmed as decided on by the National Sports
Commission (NSC), which will conduct training for the players from June
5 to 9.

A better 2010

NEXTSports spoke to Africa Singles
Champion, Aruna Quadri who just returned to the country after taking
part in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour in
Qatar and Kuwait.

He said, “I hope and pray that this
year will be better than last year because I achieved a lot and was
very happy. Everybody started preparing for this trial some months back
but I just believe I should be able to do better this year. I don’t
think I have an edge over anybody, though I pray that my going for the
pro Tour would make a difference.

“I hope to make the team because it
will be great playing in the Commonwealth Games for the first time even
though I played in the Commonwealth Championships in 2007. I was
unfortunate not to qualify during the last Commonwealth trials.”

Dethroning experienced players

Another player who is hoping to make a
debut to the Commonwealth Games is Rashidat Ogundele, younger sister of
former Asoju Oba champion, Ganiat Ogundele.

The younger Ogundele was able to get to
the finals of the Asoju Oba Championship for the first time last year
and defeated her elder sister to win the O’jez Table Tennis
Championships later on:

“I have never gone for the Commonwealth Games and will be happy if I
make the team even though I participated in the trials before but was
unable to qualify. My target this year is to win any tournament I
participate in that’s why I’ve been training hard this year to achieve
that goal. I know there we will be more experienced players but we will
slug it out together, I’m trying my best.”