Nigeria has won the bid to host the 2028 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Championships after beating Tunisia in a vote in Tangier, Morocco, Trybal News reports.
ITTF Africa confirmed Nigeria’s success on Thursday during its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Nigeria secured 23 votes, while Tunisia received 15 from the 38 certified voters.
The victory means Lagos will host the continent’s top table tennis championship in 2028. Nigeria’s experience in organising major competitions and its record of hosting international table tennis events helped strengthen its bid.
Delegates considered bids for the 2027 and 2028 continental tournaments before deciding how to award the Africa Championships. Nigeria and Tunisia emerged as the main contenders, prompting delegates to settle the contest through a vote.
A total of 31 delegates attended the meeting in person, while seven certified proxies also took part in the voting process.
Nigeria to Host Two Major African events
The AGM also confirmed the hosts for several other continental competitions over the next two years.
Libya will stage the 2027 Africa Cup, while Algeria will host the 2027 Africa Championships. Botswana will organise the 2027 Youth event, and Nigeria will host the 2027 Para Championships.
For 2028, Nigeria will stage the Africa Championships, Rwanda will host the Youth event, and Egypt will organise the Para Championships. ITTF Africa has yet to decide the host of the 2028 Africa Cup.
Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) president Adesoji Tayo welcomed the result and thanked delegates for trusting the country with the tournament. He also promised a high standard of organisation in Lagos.
“We want to thank all the delegates for putting their trust in Nigeria to host a befitting tournament in 2028, as well as the African Para Championships in 2027.
“As experienced organisers of major table tennis tournaments in the world, we are poised to deliver a seamless event that continues to attract more people to Nigeria.
“The city of Lagos will again witness the best of table tennis, and we assure all our visitors that Nigeria will be the place to be in 2028,” he said.
Hosting both the 2027 African Para Championships and the 2028 Africa Championships will give Nigeria another opportunity to demonstrate its organisational strength.
The events are also expected to bring players, officials and other table tennis stakeholders to the country. In addition, they will put Lagos in the spotlight as Nigeria prepares to welcome Africa’s leading players in 2028.
