By Victor Kanayo
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has released official seedings of qualified players for the 2024 Olympics.
The seedings were released ahead of draws for the Men’s Singles table tennis event at the Games.
The official seedings for the Games will be based on the July 16 ITTF World Rankings, revealing potential matchups that promise excitement for fans.
According to official schedule, top two African stars – Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar will be among the top seeds, and they are expected to kick off their campaign from the second round which is round of 64 of the tournament on July 28, at the South Paris Arena.
Aruna and Assar stand out as part of the 16 top seeds for this multi-sports spectacle in France.
Aruna, who made history as the first African to reach the quarter-final of the table tennis event at the Olympic Games, currently holds the 19th world ranking, while Assar who is the second African to reach the quarterfinal is rated 22nd in the world.
All eyes will be on Aruna and Assar, with the Nigerian making his fourth Olympic Games appearance, as he contends for a podium finish in Paris.
Assar, who matched Aruna’s quarter-final record at Tokyo 2020, is another player to watch out for in Paris.
Assar joins Mohamed El-Beiali as Egypt’s representatives in the Men’s Singles.
Meanwhile, Dina Meshref and Hana Goda will compete in the Women’s Singles event.
For the team event, the African champions have selected Youssef Abdel-Aziz to join Assar and El-Beiali in the men’s squad.
Mariam Alhodaby will team up with Meshref and Goda for the women’s team event in Paris.
Meshref and Assar will also compete in the Mixed Doubles event, which makes its second appearance in Paris after debuting at Tokyo 2020.
Joining Aruna in the Men’s Singles event is his compatriot, Olajide Omotayo.
Other African players include Mehdi Boulussa of Algeria and Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal.
Madagascar’s Fabio Rakotoarimanana will create history as the first player from the island nation to compete in the table tennis event at the Olympic Games.
Saheed Idowu of Congo Brazzaville secured a Tripartite Invitation to participate in Paris.
In the women’s singles, Nigeria’s duo of Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello, along with Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi, complete the continent’s contingent in Paris.
