After a not-too-impressive outing at the just concluded ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTTC), African table tennis heavyweights – Nigeria and Egypt as well as other continental contenders have now shifted focus to the forthcoming African Games taking place in Ghana.

For the 13^th African Games, table tennis is one of the sports that will kick-start the games before the official opening on March 8 as the likes of Omar Assar of Egypt and Quadri Aruna of Nigeria are expected to begin their hunt for medals in the singles event. Seven titles will be at stake in Ghana in the table tennis event as Egypt who claimed most of the medals at the 2019 edition in Morocco will be hoping to dominate again in Ghana.

According to the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), the event will commence with singles, followed by team and doubles events as most of the continent’s top players will be heading to the WTT Singapore Smash from March 8 to 17.

A source said that this becomes necessary to allow the players to garner points for their eventual qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.

Meanwhile, WTT have confirmed Aruna and Egypt’s quartet of Assar, Ahmed Saleh, Dina Meshref and Hana Goda among the top players that will start their campaigns from the main draws on March 10.

Players that will kickstart their campaigns from the qualifying round include Egypt’s duo of Mariam Alhodaby and Yousra Helmy; Cameroon’s Sarah Hanffou, Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello and Algeria’s Lynda Loghraibi in the women’s singles.

In the men’s singles, Egypt’s Mohamed El-Beiali, Senegal’s Ibrahima Diaw, Algeria’s Mehdi Bouloussa and Nigeria’s duo of Taiwo Mati and Olajide Omotayo will also begin their quest for glory from the qualifying round of the $1.5m prize money tournament.

The OCBC Arena Singapore will host Singapore Smash 2024 as the Lion City is set to host a star-studded ensemble of the world’s finest paddlers at Singapore Sports Hub, promising an exhilarating experience for fans locally and around the world.

For 2024, the spotlight will be on 2023 champions China’s Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha, both on a mission to defend their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles. Fan, boasting an impeccable singles record at the event, is aiming for a Singapore Smash three-peat.

His quest faces stiff competition from World No.2 Wang Chuqin, the reigning WTT Finals Men’s champion, and the legendary Ma Long, determined to secure his first Singapore Smash title after consecutive runner-up finishes.

The qualifying round takes place over March 7 to 9, leading into the main draw starting on Sunday, March 10.

Nigeria senior women’s cricket team, the Female Yellow Greens, began their title defence of the Nigeria Cricket Federation Women T20i invitational tournament with an emphatic 54 runs win over Sierra Leone in their first game of the tournament at the Tafawa Balewa Square Oval in Lagos on Sunday

Captain Blessing Etim won the toss for Nigeria and elected to bat first, and their visitors were unable to withstand their firepower in the first innings.

The Female Yellow Greens batting saw them coast to 137 runs for the loss of two wickets in 20 overs, leaving their opponents with a mountain to climb in the second innings. Favour Eseigbe contributed 44 runs from 48 balls, while Peculiar Agboya and Esther Sandy left 33 and 30 balls apiece in the inning.

Sierra Leone could only put 83 runs on the board during their batting, dropping eight wickets in 20 overs.

Earlier in the first game, new entrants and the highest ranked team at the tournament, Tanzania fell to a shock 33 runs defeat on their debut at the tournament against former champions Rwanda.

Like Nigeria, Rwanda also won the toss and elected to bat first, posting 119 runs for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs while Tanzania could only manage 86 runs all out in 16.4 overs.

Actions continue Monday (today), with Nigeria taking on Tanzania in the first game of the day before Rwanda and Sierra Leone clash at the same venue.

The four-nation tournament will be played till March 4 in a round-robin format and the team with the highest point will go home with the title.

President of the NCF, Uyi Akpata, said that the event was part of the numerous avenues that the federation had designed to promote the game, and it was pleasing to see rising international interest around the tournament.

“The Nigeria Cricket Federation Women T20 Invitational Tournament has been on the rise, and the quality of games has helped Nigeria gain prominence as we now rank 29th in the world, down from the 38th that we occupied as recently as 2021,” Akpata said.

“Nigeria has practically ridden on the performances and exposures that events like this have provided to become a force in Female Cricket on the continent.”

Despite fielding an under-strength side, Liverpool managed to clinch victory over Chelsea in extra time, securing the EFL Cup title in a dramatic showdown at Wembley Stadium.

In a match which saw Jurgen Klopp start without key players, Liverpool overcame the absence of players such as Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Nunez and others due to injuries.

Instead, the team relied on the impressive performances of young talents like Connor Bradley, Jarrel Quansah, Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns, and James McConnell, who rose to the occasion and demonstrated the depth of talent within the squad.

The game unfolded as a rollercoaster of emotions, with significant chances, contentious calls, and a display of unwavering determination from both sides.

Early on, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher made a crucial save to deny Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, setting the tone for a fiercely contested match.

Liverpool faced further adversity when Ryan Gravenberch sustained an injury, leading to an early substitution with Joe Gomez entering the fray.

Controversy ensued as Raheem Sterling’s goal for Chelsea was disallowed for offside, sparking debates among fans and pundits. Liverpool also had their share of frustration when a goal from Virgil van Dijk was ruled out for offside following a VAR review, leaving the scoreline deadlocked at the end of regular time.

As the match entered extra time, Liverpool’s young players displayed composure and maturity, taking control of the game and creating scoring opportunities.

With penalties looming, Liverpool’s captain, Virgil van Dijk, delivered a decisive blow by heading home the winning goal from a corner in the 118th minute, sealing a memorable victory 1-0 victory for the Reds.

Rivers United FC of Nigeria boosted their hopes of reaching the CAF Confederation Cup knockout round with a 2-3 away victory agaianst Angola’s APC Lobito on Sunday, February 25, 2024.

In a thrilling match on Sunday evening, Rivers United fought-back from conceding a 37th minute penalty-goal towin 2-3 in Angola against an opposition that has struggled for points in the CAF Confederation Cup group-stage.

Goals were scored by competition debutant,Udom Edem Ekerette (40th minute), Alex Oyowah (44th-minute penalty), and Farouk Mohammed (48th minute) handed the Pride of Rivers crucial points.

Rivers United will now need to secure a victory against Dreams FC of Ghana at home to have any chance of progressing to the knockout rounds of the CAF Confederation Cup following their hard-fought 3-2 win against APC Lobito of Angola today.

Meanwhile, Dreams FC clinched a narrow 1-0 victory over Club Africain of Tunisia, propelling them to the top of the table with 12 points from five matches.

Club Africain currently sit second in the standings with nine points from five matches, sharing the same point tally with third-placed Rivers United but holding a superior goal difference.

In the upcoming fixture, Club Africain will host bottom club Lobito, while Rivers United will aim to secure a convincing victory against their Ghanaian opponents.

Nigeria Women’s National team star, Rasheedat Ajibade says the Super Falcons are focsed on securing ticket to the Paris Olympics games.

Ajibade made this declaration in a pre-match interview ahead of the Super Falcons return-leg clash vs Cameroon at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja on Monday, February 26.

In the first-leg decided days ago, Randy Waldrum’sNigerian team held Cameroon to a draw at the Stade de la Reunification in Douala, Cameroon.

The return leg will be played at the M.K.O Stadium in Abuja, and both teams have everything to play for with a spot at the Olympics at stake.

Speaking ahead of the game, Ajibade maintained confidence in the Super Falcons’ team and is keen on reaching the Olympics with Nigeria as a personal target.

“Our objective remains to secure the Olympic ticket. Personally, I have never played at the Olympics, and that is the case with the overwhelming majority of players in this team. We are determined to seize this opportunity. We have another ninety minutes to claim the final-round ticket, and we are focused on a positive result,” the 24-year-old said in quotes revealed by the NFF.

Ashleigh Plumptre and Coach Randy Waldrum have returned to the Super Falcons squad for the first time since the FIFA 2023 Women’s World Cup and are eager to make their presence count as Nigeria chases a spot at the Olympics.

Nigeria and Cameroon will give it another go at the M.K.O. Abiola Stadium at 4 pm in Abuja on Monday as the race for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France, heats up.