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Ranked 101 in the
world; France based Segun Toriola alongside Funke Oshinaike would carry
the faint hopes of Nigeria on their shoulders as the country begins her
quest for honours in the World Team Table Tennis Championships today in
Moscow, Russia.

Ten players will be
representing the country at the week -long event which runs through 23
May -30 May with seventy one other countries grouped into three
categories billed to compete.

The team list

The male players
are Segun Toriola and Monday Merotohun who are both based in France
alongside the duo of Seun Ajetumobi and Bode Abiodun who both ply their
trade in Portugal while home-based Aruna Quadri completes the list.

While for the
female players; Funke Oshonaike who plays in Germany leads the trail
alongside home-based Ganiat Ogundele, Janet Offiong, Atinuke Olaide and
Edem Offiong.

Playing in the
second division, the men’s team would be up against Scotland in their
first match later today, while the women’s team which is grouped in the
third division faces Kazakhstan.

Segun Oguntade,
Secretary, Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) explained that the
choice of players was carefully arrived at pointing out that the
players were picked solely on merit.

“They were selected
based on their current form. We monitor their recent performances
through the website in addition to their past records,’’ he said
According to Oguntade, the home -based players had been on intensive
training in Ibadan for the championship for quite a while as the
federation seeks a respectable performance from the country’s
representatives to the tourney.

Players’ Optimism

Speaking to
NEXTSports before the team’s departure, the only home-based male player
in the team; Aruna Quadri who plays for the Union Bank table tennis
team expressed readiness to do well at the event pointing out that he
is gradually gathering the confidence needed to perform creditably well
at the big stage.

“I know I have been
improving in my game, I have had the chance to attend some competitions
recently and I have learnt new things each time I play, by the grace of
God I would not disappoint the country” he said.

Quadri is currently
ranked 282 in the World and has showed some promise when he stunned the
continent beating his more experienced compatriot, Segun Toriola, and
the Egyptian duo of Ahmed Saleh and Lashin Al-Fayed to win the African
Singles Cup last year in Morocco.

This earned him
Africa’s sole ticket to the 2009 ITTF Men’s World Cup in Moscow, Russia
where he finished second in the maiden Intercontinental Cup.

For him the feat is still achievable even though admitting that it won’t be an easy task.

Meanwhile Ganiat
Ogundele who is also on the trip to Russia shares Quadri’s optimism as
she also believes she and her team mates can perform well in Russia.

“We know we need to
be focused in each game and work very hard to get the results we need,
we would put in our best and we hope that it would be good enough” she
said.

Ogundele had a
torrid season last year with the climax being her surrendering the
Asoju Oba title that she has won six times. She was ousted in the
quarter finals.

However Oguntade
has also expressed confidence that the team would do well in Moscow
based on their level of preparation, exposure and performances.

“Some of them
participated in Pro-Club Tour Qatar and German Open and with the recent
participations in the opens, they will stand out among other countries
at the tournament,’’ he said.

Six officials,
including the federation’s President, Abdulwahab Omotose and Abolarin
Tinuoye, the physiotherapist alongside coaches Ndem Richard, Akoja
Oluwole and Sunmola Lateef accompanied the players to Russia.