Nigeria's Aruna, Omotayo to play Romanian, Iranian opponents in first-round

Posted : 26 July 2024

Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has been matched against a familiar foe, Romania’s Eduard Ionescu, while his compatriot Olajide Omotayo faces a tough duel against Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan in the first round of Men’s Singles at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The draw, conducted on Wednesday, July 23, at the South Paris Arena and witnessed by coaches and team managers, also presented Africa’s flagbearer, Egypt, with significant challenges in the team and mixed doubles events.

Similarly, Offiong Edem will compete against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, and debutant Fatimo Bello will confront a formidable task against the Chinese-born French star Jia Nana Yuan in the first round of the Women’s Singles.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games mark a significant milestone for table tennis, being its 10th appearance as an Olympic sport since its debut at Seoul 1988 in South Korea.

In their previous encounter, Aruna and Ionescu met during the semifinal of the European Champions League, where Ionescu defeated Aruna 3-2. Paris 2024 will be their second meeting in any competition.

Omotayo will also face a southpaw Iranian, whose style often confuses opponents and has led to victories over some of the world’s finest players. Omotayo will need to be at his best to secure a win in his Olympic debut.

The draw brought mixed fortunes for other African players. Egypt’s Omar Assar will face Madagascar’s debutant Fabio Rakotoarimanana, while Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa will take on Croatia’s Tomislav Pucar. Nigeria-born Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu will compete against Sweden’s Anton Kallberg, and Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, starting from the preliminary round, will face Nepal’s Santoo Shrestha.

In the Women’s Singles, African champion Dina Meshref of Egypt will play against Spain’s Maria Xiao, and her compatriot Hana Goda will confront the returning nursing mother Britt Eerland of the Netherlands. Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi will take on world No. 2 Chen Meng of China. Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou will begin her campaign by facing Guyana’s Chelsea Edghill in the preliminary round.

Africa’s representatives in the team events also face tough challenges, with Egypt drawing Chinese Taipei and China in the first round of both Men’s and Women’s events. Additionally, Assar and Meshref will compete against World No. 1 Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha of China in the Mixed Doubles event.

With the draw now complete, the table tennis world eagerly anticipates July 27, when the competition kicks off and the world’s best players prepare to deliver an unforgettable spectacle.

Nigeria's Aruna, Omotayo to play Romanian, Iranian opponents in first-round

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