Paris Paralympics: Team Nigeria ready for tough table tennis battle
Team Nigeria will begin competing the table tennis event of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Thursday, hoping to win some medals.
The team has been drawn against tough British and Chinese opponents in the men’s doubles and mixed doubles events.
The draw for the doubles and mixed doubles events in para table tennis was held on Monday at the South Paris Arena, where the competition will be held over 10 thrilling days.
The draw results promise exciting matchups and the first four days of intense competition, highlighting para table tennis as a cornerstone of the Paralympic Games since its debut at the first Paralympics in Rome in 1960.
Kayode Alabi and Faith Obazuaye will compete in the mixed doubles event, facing Great Britain duo of Joshua Stacey and Bly Twomey.
Meanwhile, Alabi and Victor Farinloye will battle the Chinese pair of Huang Jiaxin and Peng Weinan. Alabi and Obazuaye will start their campaign from the round of 32 in the mixed doubles, while Alabi and Farinloye will begin their quest for glory in the round of 16 of men’s doubles.
“We are ready for any opponent we face because we are well prepared for the challenge in Paris ” Alabi boasted.
“There is no doubt that we are facing strong opponents, but we are not going to give up easily and hope to progress to the next stage.”
Team coach Nasiru Sule is also optimistic about their chances but acknowledged the difficulty ahead: “It is not going to be easy at all because they are a strong team, but we will give our best.”
