Dominant Iraq on top as Lagos Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open ends today

The Iraqi team at the ongoing Valuejet Para Table Tennis Open Championship have been the cynosure of all eyes as they bestrode the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, shoving all opposition aside.

Buoyed by massive support from the home crowd, Iraq’s Hadeel Al Waeli and Ali Al Saedi both claimed gold medals in the Women’s and Men’s Class 1-2 categories on Friday.

The ITTF Factor 20 tournament featured teams from the UK, Iraq, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Togo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, and host Nigeria with the finale billed for Saturday.

In the Women’s Class 1-3, Al Waeli remained unbeaten from the group stage through to the final, where she dominated Nigeria’s Ifeoma Ezurike with a 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-3) victory to secure the title. Similarly, Al Saedi was undefeated from the group stage to the final, where he triumphed over Nigeria’s John Kewejo 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-3) in the Men’s Class 1-3, adding another gold medal for the visitors.

Nigeria’s Faith Obazuaye retained her title in the Women’s Class 9-10 by defeating her compatriot Maryam Popoola 3-0 in the final.

In a thrilling Men’s Class 8 final, Nigeria’s Oluwafemi Fabiyi dethroned the reigning champion Victor Farinloye with a 3-2 (11-9, 4-11, 11-9, 4-11, 12-10) victory.

Bolawa Akingbemisilu emerged victorious in the Men’s Class 5 final, beating Lekan Abdullahi 3-1. In the Men’s Class 3-4 final, Africa’s sole medallist at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Isau Ogunkunle, faced a tough challenge against Iraq’s Muntadher Al Sarraji. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Kafayat Olaitan competed against Iran’s Zahra Namazi in the Women’s Class 7-8 final.

Tournament referee, Asko Rasinen, commended the participants for their impressive performances and encouraged them to continue participating in more tournaments to earn ranking points for major competitions like the World Championships and Paralympic Games.

President of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria (PCN), Sunday Odebode, highlighted the quality representation from top-playing nations such as Iraq, Iran, and the UK. He also promised to continue growing the tournament yearly.