Late arrival costs Nigeria world tennis championship slot •Devastated kids battle for Olympics ticket

There are strong indications that Nigeria will miss out on the forthcoming Junior World Table Tennis Championship slated for Italy next month  and  the World Cadet Challenge at a yet to be named country later in the year.

This is as a result of the inability of the  country’s junior national table tennis team to make the main event of the ongoing African Junior Table Tennis Championship in Tunis, Tunisia.

The country’s team to the championship, according to information available to Tribunesport, arrived in Tunisia on Friday night but could not participate in the championship which already had entered the semi final stage.

Tribunesport’s source in Tunisia said that the players would only be able to participate in the Youth Olympic Games qualifier which commences today and for them to be in Argentina next year  for the festival, the players have to qualify and play in the finals of both the male and female categories.

“It’s so pathetic that we have to miss the world junior table tennis championship in Italy because our players just arrived [on Friday] when the competition has reached the final stage and the only grace we have now is that they will participate in the Youth Olympic Games qualifier on Sunday, but honestly speaking, the young players are not in good frame of mind. We need to psyche them up so that they can be ready for the task ahead,” Tribunesport said on Friday night.

Nigeria’s hope of featuring in the Youth Olympic Games in Argentia  lies with Azeez Solanke and Tosin Oribamise, who are seeded number two in both the boys and girls event respectively