By Atoyebi Nike
Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai delivered a standout performance by winning the U-19 boys’ doubles event at the 2025 ITTF Africa Youth Championships, held at Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
The duo overcame Tunisia’s Wassim Essid and Mohamed Khaloufi 3-1 in a thrilling final to secure Nigeria’s lone gold medal in a tournament largely dominated by Egypt. Their victory sparked jubilant scenes among the home crowd and stood out as a high point for the host nation.
The Championships, which concluded on Sunday, marked the second-to-last highlight of a three-week-long celebration of table tennis in Lagos. A total of ten gold medals were awarded across singles and doubles events in the U-15 and U-19 categories.
Egypt emerged as the dominant force, collecting five gold medals. Algeria followed with three, while Nigeria and Tunisia claimed one each. Egypt’s Mariam Younes successfully defended her U-19 girls’ singles crown, beating compatriot Habiba Elbasoumy 4-1. In the boys’ singles, Egypt’s Badr Mostafa defeated Tunisia’s reigning champion Wassim Essid by the same margin.
Egypt also clinched gold in the mixed doubles, with Mostafa and Younes pairing up for the win.
Algeria’s gold medal tally was bolstered by Bilel Zouitene, who overcame Egypt’s Asser Sameh 3–2 in the U-15 boys’ singles final, having earlier lost to the same player in the doubles final. Algerian sisters Jade and Tania Morice added another win in the U-15 girls’ doubles, with Tania later beating her sister in the singles final.
While Nigeria didn’t lead the medal chart, its presence and fan support created an electric atmosphere throughout the competition, especially during Kuti and Abdulfatai’s final match.
With the Youth Championships concluded, attention now shifts to the newly introduced ITTF Africa Youth Cup, which begins today at the same venue. The event, fully sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation, will feature 76 players (45 boys and 31 girls) from 14 African countries and will offer world ranking points and prize money.
This Youth Cup marks the final stage of an action-packed calendar in Lagos, which recently hosted the ITTF Africa West Regional Championships and WTT Contender Lagos, reinforcing the city’s status as a table tennis hub.
The tournament also honours former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, whose 2013 backing of the Lagos International Sports Classics helped elevate the city’s role in international table tennis. In his honour, the Youth Cup trophy has been named the BRF Cup.
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation expressed optimism that the tournament’s momentum will drive youth participation and development in the sport nationwide.
