Nigeria beats Tunisia to win 2028 ITTF Africa Championships hosting rights

Nigeria has won the bid to host the 2028 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Championships, defeating Tunisia in a vote at the ITTF Africa Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Tangier, Morocco.

ITTF Africa confirmed Nigeria’s successful bid on Thursday, with the country securing 23 votes against Tunisia’s 15 among the 38 certified voters.

Nigeria’s organisational experience and track record in hosting major table tennis competitions were key factors in its successful bid, which will bring the continental championship to Lagos in 2028.

The contest followed deliberations by delegates on the host countries for the 2027 and 2028 continental tournaments. With Nigeria and Tunisia emerging as the main contenders for the Africa Championships, delegates agreed to determine the host through a vote.

A total of 31 delegates were physically present at the meeting, while seven proxies were certified to vote.

The AGM also confirmed other hosts for the continental competitions. Libya will host the 2027 Africa Cup, Algeria the 2027 Africa Championships, Botswana the 2027 Youth event and Nigeria the 2027 Para Championships.

For 2028, Nigeria will host the Africa Championships, Rwanda the Youth event and Egypt the Para Championships. The host of the 2028 Africa Cup is yet to be decided.

Adesoji Tayo, president of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), described the confidence placed in Nigeria by the delegates as overwhelming and pledged to deliver a world-class tournament 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.

The double hosting responsibility will allow Nigeria to showcase its organisational capacity and attract players, officials and other stakeholders to the country for two major continental table tennis events within two years.