Fashola to grace 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup final
July 29, 2026 4:46 am
File: Babatunde Fashola
Former Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing and ex-Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola will be the distinguished guest at the grand finale of the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup, scheduled for the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana on Wednesday.
The two-day tournament is named the Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) Cup in recognition of his pivotal role in championing table tennis’s renaissance in Africa, notably by launching the Lagos Table Tennis Classics in 2013.
Fashola will be joined by dignitaries including the Executive Committee of the African Table Tennis Federation, led by President Wahid Oshodi, to cheer on young talents from across the continent.
The competition aims to spotlight emerging talents and foster healthy rivalry among Africa’s youth, with the long-term vision of elevating the event into a global tournament.
Wassim Essid of Tunisia, last year’s U-19 boys’ singles champion, returns as a favourite. Algeria’s Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene, former U-15 winners, will now compete in the U-19 division.
Top seeds include Tunisia’s Essid and Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy in U-19, while Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia’s Ela Saidi lead the U-15 rankings.
The boys’ U-19 singles promises to be particularly fierce, with Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti in scintillating form after leading his country to victory against top-seeded Egypt at the ITTF Africa Youth Championships.
In the girls’ U-19 category, Algerian siblings Jade Morice and Tania Morice are expected to pose a serious challenge to the Egyptian favourites.
Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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