14th July, 2015
Nigeria’s Abayomi Animasahun has been listed in the ITTF Hopes Team selected for this year’s World Cadet Challenge in Egypt.
The selection was based on the performance at the just concluded ITTF Hopes Week and Challenge in China. The team are made up of four boys and four girls that will be catered for by the world table tennis ruling body, ITTF.
Apart from the Nigerian teenager, others in the team are United States’ Nikhil Kumar, Singapore’s Yan Kai Andy Wong and New Zealand’s Nathan Xu.
In the girls’ team, winner of the ITTF Hopes Challenge, Egypt’s Sara Elhakem, India’s Diya Parag Chitale, Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian and El Salvador’s Melissa Mendoza are listed.
The 2015 ITTF World Cadet Challenge will be staged in the historic Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheik from 23-31 October.
The eight-man team will be supported by Butterfly with the selection meeting one of the main objectives of the ITTF Hopes Programme; that every member continent of ITTF is represented.
The winner of the Boys’ Singles and Girls’ Singles events at the Challenge Tournament, Nikhil Kumar and Sara Elhakem, gained automatic selection.
The remaining three places for boys and three places for girls were based on a combination of coaches’ assessment in Shanghai and results at the Challenge Tournament.
Evaluation by the coaches formed 65 per cent of the overall calculation. Items taken into consideration were speed and strength alongside a sense of feeling and ability to spin the ball.
In addition, the appraisal addressed attitude, mental strength, and adaptability in a match situation, training and potential.
Meanwhile, at the Challenge Tournament, the players were allocated points which were translated into a percentage, the winner of each of the Boys’ Singles and Girls’ Singles events received the maximum 35 percent of the total mark.
All the eight players must be accompanied by a coach recognised and approved by the relevant national associations.
The players will attend a 14-day training camp at a venue yet to be determined prior to travelling to Egypt.
The next step is for national associations to endorse the relevant selections; the deadline date being Friday 31 July.
Dejan Papic, the ITTF Education and Training Co-ordinator is the Mentor of the Hopes Team, Polona Cehovin Susin, the ITTF Education and Training Director, is the Team Manager.