Key highlights from this year’s Lagos event:
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Participants: 31 young players from 12 African countries have gathered, including notable talents such as Algeria’s Ritadj Brahim Djelloul and Abdelghafour Tazerouti, Zimbabwe’s Princess Tichiwangani and Denzel Kudzai Timire, and a strong representation from Nigeria and Uganda.
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Format: The week features a blend of high-level training sessions led by international coaches—most notably Eva Jeler (ITTF Head Coach) working alongside Ramzi Mabrouk (ITTF Development Programmes Manager), as well as African coaches like Audrey Oronda (Kenya) and Aroua Ounais (Tunisia), both of whom progressed through ITTF’s “My Gender. My Strength” initiative.
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Focus: Young athletes receive not only competition experience, but also cultural exchange and personal development opportunities, forming friendships across national boundaries while learning both technical and mental aspects of the sport.
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Broader Impact: This event reflects Africa’s commitment to table tennis development—across 2024 and into 2025, there has been a notable rise in both player and coach participation, gender balance, and the inclusion of para table tennis. ITTF-Africa’s partnership with ITTF continues to deepen, with coaching and competition management courses and strategic development agreements all being implemented continent-wide.
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Objective: The top-performing players from the Lagos event will earn the chance to represent Africa in the 2025 ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge, where they will train and compete with peers from every continent.
Africa Hopes Lagoas 2025
The energetic atmosphere in Lagos underscores the continent’s growing strength in table tennis. Notably, the ITTF-Africa President Wahid Oshodi officially welcomed the global table tennis community to the “2025 Festival of Table Tennis,” highlighting Lagos as a hub for emerging talent and international engagement.
As of now, matches and training sessions are ongoing, with results and standout performances expected to be announced following the conclusion of the event on July 25, 2025.