The President of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Petra Sorling has hailed the government of Kenya for staging a befitting continental cup while assuring that more support would come Africa in near future.
Sorling who is the first woman elected ITTF President was in Nairobi for the 2023 ITTF Africa Cup and she described the organisation coupled with the standard of play as inspiring and encouraging.
“I am delighted with what I have seen in this year’s ITTF Africa Cup. There have been significant improvements in the organisation, and Kenya has been a great host. I want to specifically congratulate the Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) under the leadership of Andrew Mudibo.
“We have seen new talents during the event, from Uganda and Madagascar, for example. This is very important for the growth of our sport, and we are looking forward to seeing more African players performing at the highest level. Africa, and its 54 member associations, are very important to the ITTF. We will continue supporting Africa through our programme and activities,” she said.
Specifically, she mentioned the staging of this year’s World Championship in Durban, South Africa being the first for Africa in the last 84 years, while expressing optimism in the organisation hoping that the continent would bring its flavour to the global tournament.
Also, President of ITTF Africa, Khaled El-Salhy lauded the efforts of KTTA being the second time the association would be hosting the continental tournament in the last five years having staged it in 2018.
He however, assured of the continental body support to member associations in the continent.
For the ITTF Vice President, Wahid Oshodi, the staging of Africa Cup attested to the capacity of Kenya to host major international competitions, adding that the country has shown its commitment to the sport in the last five years.
He said that Durban hosting this year’s World Championships was a confirmation of the confidence ITTF has on the continent.
In his remarks, President of KTTA Andrew Mudibo thanked the world table tennis ruling body for supporting Kenya in its quest to host a successful continental championships while hoping that the country would be considered for more international tournaments.
The 2023 ITTF Africa Cup had countries like host Kenya, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi, Congo Brazzaville among others competing in the women and men singles event with the final taking place on Saturday May 6 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya.
