Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has been confirmed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as one of the 86 players set to compete in the men’s singles event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games based on the world ranking.
The 35-year-old will be making his fourth Olympic appearance, having previously represented Nigeria in 2012, 2016, and 2020, where he reached the quarter-finals in 2016. Both Aruna and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi were confirmed by the ITTF on Friday ahead of next week’s world ranking update.
Aruna’s qualification was initially delayed due to a point deduction in April, but he secured his place after successfully appealing against the ITTF’s decision. The ITTF stated, as relayed by the African Table Tennis Federation“With less than 50 days to the games, this week’s world ranking update has seen eight athletes secure their participation based on the selection of continental quotas allocated by world ranking,”.
“The men’s singles draw welcomes African powerhouse Quadri Aruna from Nigeria, alongside the Americas’ rising talent Nicolas Burgos from Chile. Asia’s Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan and Europe’s Alvaro Robles of Spain, who previously qualified in mixed doubles, also confirm their spots.
“The women’s singles competition showcases a similar level of global talent. Lynda Loghraibi from Algeria (Africa), Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico (Americas), Singapore’s Zhou Jingyi (Asia), and Yang Xiaoxin of Monaco (Europe) can now officially begin their preparations for their Olympic dreams in Paris.”
With only one more world ranking update scheduled before the final roster for Paris is confirmed, next week’s rankings will be crucial in determining the final competitors for the highly anticipated Paris 2024 Games.
A total of 86 men and 86 women are expected to compete in the singles events at the Olympic Games.
Additionally, the ITTF has named three Africans—Akram Attia (Tunisia), Es-Sayed Elrawdy (Egypt), and Ronald Mugwanya (Uganda)—as umpires for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
