Nigeria's Table Tennis legend, Toriola set for Coaching role at ITTF WTTC in Korea

Posted : 15 February 2024

Table tennis legend Segun Toriola will lead the Nigerian contingent to the 2024 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) in Busan, South Korea, from Feb. 16 to Feb. 25, says the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF).

The NTTF states that Toriola is chosen based on his wealth of experience and cordial relationships with most of the top players in the national team.

With the retirement of former national coach Nosiru Sule last year, Toriola has become the best option for the federation to handle the teams at the WTTC.

The federation notes that Toriola’s name is synonymous with Nigerian and African table tennis. Having won numerous African titles and appeared in seven Olympic Games, Toriola has been influential in Africa while also earning global respect.

At the Busan 2024 WTTC, the Nigerian men’s team has been drawn against Japan, Chinese Taipei, Czech Republic, and Madagascar in Group 8 among the eight groups of five countries each.

The Nigerian men aim to advance to the knockout rounds. Egypt, the African champions, will compete against Portugal, Romania, Iran, and Thailand in Group 8, while Algeria will face France, Australia, Denmark, and Austria.

In the women’s category, the Nigerian team is grouped against Germany, Slovakia, Poland, and Mexico, while the Egyptian ladies face European teams — France, Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Croatia in Group 8.

Algeria’s women face the task of battling Chinese Taipei, the U.S., Thailand, and Chile in their group. The South African women’s team is pitted against Japan, Brazil, Luxembourg, and Iran in Group 2 of the women’s event.

China, the defending WTTC champions, holds the top-seeded positions in both the men’s and women’s team events. The country’s ladies are placed in Group 1 with Hungary, India, Spain, and Uzbekistan.

Each group will play a round-robin, with each team facing the other four teams in their group. After the round-robin, the top three teams from each group advance to the knockout phase. The top eight from the tournament get automatic tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The Nigerian delegation hopes for improved performance and a chance to clinch the Olympic tickets for both men’s and women’s events, having missed out on the continent’s sole ticket to the Games in 2023 after losing the finals in both gender categories to Egypt at the African Championships in Tunis.

Nigeria's Table Tennis legend, Toriola set for Coaching role at ITTF WTTC in Korea

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