Nigeria’s seven-time Olympian Funke Oshonaike has called for an urgent grassroots overhaul of Nigerian table tennis, insisting the country must rebuild from the foundation level if it hopes to compete again with the world’s elite.
Speaking to the press during the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, the Nigerian legend admitted it was painful watching home players fail to reach the latter stages of Africa’s biggest table tennis event despite the tournament’s growing global reputation.
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Oshonaike, one of the most iconic figures in African table tennis history, returned to Nigeria for the tournament after attending meetings in Abuja in her role as a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission.
The veteran, who represented Nigeria at seven Olympic Games between Atlanta 1996 and Tokyo 2020, said she was impressed by the scale and quality of the event but worried about the widening gap between Nigerian players and the world’s top emerging talents.
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“I don’t want to go back, I just want to stay here. It has been so wonderful,” Oshonaike said.
“I went to Abuja for a local meeting to represent the Athletes’ Commission and thought to myself, ‘Let me use the opportunity to come for the WTT too.’ I’m so happy to see what is going on right here.”
While praising the organisers for attracting elite players from across the globe, Oshonaike admitted the absence of Nigerian players in the semi-finals highlighted deeper structural issues within the country’s development system.
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“You can see players coming from all over the world, but unfortunately, Nigerians are not there in the semi-finals. It pains me so much, but it’s good to see so many athletes in the world of table tennis,” she added.
Nigeria’s decline after the golden generation
For more than two decades, Nigeria dominated African table tennis through stars like Funke Oshonaike, Offiong Edem and Cecilia Otu-Akpan, consistently winning continental medals and competing strongly on the global stage.
However, recent years have seen Egypt emerge as Africa’s dominant force, especially in women’s table tennis, producing teenage stars capable of competing at an elite international level before turning 18.
Oshonaike believes Nigeria must learn from Egypt’s developmental model if the country wants to return to the top.
“I think we have to do what the Egyptians did some years ago when we used to dominate Africa and win several gold medals,” she said.
“We have to start from the beginning. Funke Oshonaike left, Edem left, Cecilia left, all the good players left at the same time, but unfortunately, we don’t have athletes ready to take over from us.”
According to her, the modern game now favours younger athletes, making Nigeria’s failure to develop teenage stars even more damaging.
“The players competing right now are relatively older because in world table tennis nowadays, you see 14- and 15-year-olds competing at the top level. Hana Goda defeated me when she was 15, but we don’t have that kind of system in Nigeria right now.”
We must start with eight-year-olds
The former African champion stressed that rebuilding Nigerian table tennis must begin with identifying and nurturing children from an early age.
“We have to start all over again from eight, nine and 10-year-olds. Those should be the players representing Nigeria so they can develop the way the Egyptians did,” she explained.
Oshonaike also maintained that Nigeria still possesses enormous raw talent but lacks the structures needed to guide young players into elite athletes properly.
“We have a lot of talented players in Nigeria, but they need proper training, good coaches and mentors who can guide them like parents. If we can get that right, we will return to the top level,” she added.
Oshonaike defends Omotayo amid criticism
The Nigerian icon also defended Olajide Omotayo following criticism surrounding his inconsistent performances on the international stage.
Oshonaike argued that Nigerian players face severe financial constraints compared to athletes from better-funded federations worldwide.
“He’s my son,” she said.
“While he is improving, others are improving too. Nobody is lagging in world table tennis anymore.”
She questioned how players are expected to compete consistently at the elite level without financial support.
“You need to attend competitions regularly. How many competitions does he go to? Most times, he is expected to fund himself, and it is very expensive.”
“If you want to compete at WTT Championships, you may have to pay about $250 or €250 per day. Without sponsorship, how is he supposed to cope?”
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According to Oshonaike, Omotayo continues to perform strongly at the club level but requires stronger institutional backing to compete regularly against world-class opposition.
“He is playing well at his club and doing well, but he needs more sponsors and support. It’s not that he is not improving; others are simply improving too,” she said.
Plans to revive the development clinic
Away from competition, Oshonaike revealed plans to relaunch her grassroots development clinic in Nigeria, with particular focus on mentoring and supporting young female players.
The veteran said balancing motherhood, nursing and IOC responsibilities had delayed the project, but she now hopes to return fully to youth development.
“I have a lot of things to do in my life right now. I’m a mother, I’m a nurse, and I also work with the IOC Athletes’ Commission, which gives me the opportunity to speak for athletes in Nigeria and around the world,” she said.
“The next thing I’m thinking about is bringing back my clinic, which I started some time ago. I stopped because of school, but I graduated last year, and I’m more relaxed now.”
“I really want to do something, especially for the girls, but I cannot do it alone. If I can get sponsors, by God’s grace, if not this year, then next year I will start a big clinic.”
Her comments came at the end of another memorable edition of the WTT Contender Lagos, a tournament that continues to grow into one of Africa’s biggest international sporting events, attracting world-class players from Europe, Asia and across the continent to Nigeria.
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