ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade has hailed Nigeria’s successful bid to host the 2028 ITTF African Table Tennis Championships and the 2027 African Para Table Tennis Championship as a monumental victory for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Nigeria secured the prestigious 2028 senior hosting rights during the African Table Tennis Federation’s (ATTF) Annual General Meeting in Morocco, defeating contender Tunisia in a decisive 23 – 15 votes.
The continental body also named Nigeria as the host nation for the 2027 African Para Table Tennis Championship as part of its host announcements for upcoming senior and youth tournaments.
Speaking on the double win, Hon. Olopade emphasized that these hosting rights reflect a surge of international confidence in Nigeria’s sports infrastructure and management capabilities.
”This is not only a major development for Nigerian sports, but a clear testament to the renewed confidence the international sporting community is having in Nigeria as an emerging sports destination,” Olopade stated.
“Making Nigeria more attractive as an international sports destination was one of the clear mandates Mr. President gave to Mallam Shehu Dikko and I when he appointed us to revamp the country’s sports landscape.”
Olopade highlighted that the strategic victory aligns directly with the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigerian Sports Economy (RHINSE) agenda, which seeks to pivot the national approach away from mere sports consumption toward active sports production through hosting major international events.
”Over the past two years, we have staged several international sporting competitions across Lagos, Abuja, Abeokuta, and Abia State,” he noted. “These events have empirically driven the growth of our national sports economy and contributed meaningfully to our GDP.”
Reassuring both the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the continent, the NSC Director General pledged that Nigeria will deliver a world-class tournament designed to serve as a benchmark for all future continental competitions.
This major table tennis milestone further cements Nigeria’s positioning as a premier host nation, as the country also prepares to welcome global sports dignitaries for the upcoming CAF Congress in Abuja and the prestigious CAF Awards in Lagos.
