Excitement Builds as Senator Abiru Mixed Team T’Tennis Event Hits knockout Stage

The 1st Senator Abiru Mixed Team Table Tennis Championships have showcased remarkable performances and displays from the participating teams and players. With 26 Nigerian teams and visiting teams from Togo and Benin Republic, the competition has been fierce from the group stages, featuring young talents competing alongside their senior counterparts.

Starting Friday, November 1, the knockout stage will begin, separating the contenders from the pretenders, leading up to the tournament’s climax on Saturday, November 2. Among the standout players are Matthew Kuti, Muiz Adegoke, and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, members of Nigeria’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 ITTF Africa Championships, who have been mesmerizing their opponents.

The Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall at Teslim Balogun Stadium has come alive with excitement, offering an entertaining atmosphere for all participants. Tournament referee John Peters expressed his enthusiasm, noting the high turnout and the eagerness of the teams to compete. He also commended the sponsors for their support of table tennis, highlighting the sport’s significance in Nigeria, thanks to stars like Quadri Aruna.

Sponsored by the SAIL Empowerment Foundation, an initiative of Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru and his wife, Mrs Feyisola, this tournament is Africa’s first Mixed Team Table Tennis Open Championships, part of the Foundation’s youth empowerment program. The tournament features 28 teams, divided into eight groups of three or four teams each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage.