Aruna Quadri qualifies for Paris Olympics

Aruna Quadri has earned the berth to represent Nigeria at the table tennis event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 35-year-old’s Olympic qualification was announced in a statement by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Friday.

He secured the qualification through his position in the ITTF world rankings and the selection of continental quotas.

Aruna, ranked 17th in the world, secured the berth alongside Lynda Loghraibi from Algeria and six other players from other continents.

“As the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games intensifies, ITTF is thrilled to announce significant progress in the qualification process for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” the statement reads.

“With the Games now under 50 days away, this week’s world ranking update has seen eight athletes secure their participation based on the selection of Continental quotas allocated by World Ranking.

“The Men’s Singles draw welcomes African powerhouse Quadri Aruna from Nigeria, alongside the Americas’ rising talent Nicolas Burgos from Chile. Asia’s Kirill Gerassimenko of Kazakhstan and Europe’s Alvaro Robles of Spain, who previously qualified in Mixed Doubles, also confirm their spots.”

Quadri joins Olajide Omotayo, Edem Offiong, and Fatimo Bello as Nigeria’s representatives in table tennis at the Olympics.

Paris will be Quadri’s fourth Olympics, having represented the country in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo in 2021.