ITTF seeds Aruna, Assar in top 16 of Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Omotayo, others get opponents July 24
Following the official seeding list for the Table Tennis competitions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Omar Assar have been seeded in 14th and 16th places respectively in the Men’s Singles event.
Also, the likes of Nigeria’s Olajide Omotayo, Egypt’s Mohammed El-Beiali, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa, Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, and Congo Brazzaville’s Saheed Idowu are expected to know their first round opponents when the draws take place on July 24.
According to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the seeding list was based on the ITTF World Rankings released on July 16.
Aruna who is ranked 19th in the world has been seeded 14th while Assar rated 22nd has been seeded 16th and they are expected to begin their campaigns from the second round of the Men’s Singles.
In the Women’s Singles seeding list, Egypt’s Dina Meshref missed the top 16 list by a whisker to concede the 16th place to WTT Contender Lagos champion, India’s Sreeja Akula.
With this development, Meshref who is seeded 17th, and her compatriot Hana Goda seeded 20th will begin their campaign from the second round of the Women’s Singles.
Nigeria’s pair of Offiong Edem and Fatimo Bello as well as Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi will also begin their quest for glory from the second round of the Women’s Singles.
As table tennis celebrates its 10th appearance at the Olympic Games, this list sets the stage for captivating battles across all categories.
World No. 1, China’s Wang Chuqin takes the top seed in the Men’s Singles event and he is followed by compatriot and Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, Fan Zhendong.
Both players will be aiming to get their first gold medal in Men’s Singles and become the sixth Chinese player to take home the Men’s Singles gold.
French favourite, Felix Lebrun, seeded third, is a strong contender for a podium finish after a recent ITTF World Championships team silver medal and a strong showing at the WTT Star Contender Ljubljana.
