170 players, 27 countries for 2018 ITTF challenge Nigeria Open

From Kanay Jubal, Abuja
Over 170 players from 27 countries have confirmed their desire to be a part of the 2018 ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open.
The tournament, which holds from August 8 to 12, 2018 at the Teslin Balogun Stadium, will feature debuting players from eight countries.
It is the first time in the history of the five-year-old competition that a Chinese player will participate in the tournament, which has a prize money of $46,000.
Also, England, Denmark, Norway, Thailand, Slovenia, Iran and Mauritius will be making their debut at the tournament, which has the second highest prize money in the ITTF Challenge Series.
According to the organizers, European countries dominated the entries with 13 nations heading to Lagos. They are Norway, Russia, Scotland, Denmark, England, Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Romania, France, Finland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
China lead the Asia along with India, Iran and Thailand while South America has three led by Brazil while others are Colombia and Argentina. Hosts Nigeria led the entries from Africa while others are Mauritius, Congo, DR Congo, Ghana, Egypt and South Africa.
The 2017 ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open attracted 148 players from 22 countries.
Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of the Tournament Enitan Oshodi said the competition had lifted the sport on the continent.
“This year has the largest number of top 100 players across both male and female categories. The entries we have received are more than the previous editions and that shows that the competition is gaining more recognition and changing the fortunes of table tennis in Africa.
Oshodi said,there will be more top-quality performances and a greater attention to details in meeting ITTF standards. The fans will have a swell time watching these top players compete for honours along with the best players from Nigeria.