It was without mincing words that the President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy, has tagged Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos, as the hub of table tennis in the continent following the successful staging of several ITTF-sanctioned events.
Speaking at the press conference to herald the commencement of the 2022 African Club Championships, the Egyptian specifically thanked the Lagos State government for their commitment to the sport in the last seven years, which he said has helped to produce world-beaters.
“I must commend the government of Lagos State for what they have done for table tennis because the city has become the hub of table tennis,” El-Salhy said.
“All players, within and outside, Africa are always looking forward to competing at the venue (Teslim Balogun Stadium), especially with the huge spectators that most times support the players regardless of their teams,” El-Salhy added.
“ITTF has now seen Lagos as one of the cities that they cannot ignore when it comes to staging top-class competitions and for us in Africa, we are always confident that the state has the capacity to host major international tournaments.”
El-Salhy described the just-concluded Western Region tournament as a testament to what to expect in the next few days when the Club Championships and Africa Cup start.