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Table Tennis · Careers

How to build a table tennis career in Nigeria

From the school table to the National Hopes camp, the national team and a club contract in Europe: every step, what players earn and advice from Quadri Aruna.

Quadri Aruna stretches to return a shot at an international tournament

Careers in table tennis

Your road to a life in table tennis

Around 1998 a boy in Oyo followed his older brother Femi into the table tennis hall. A coach, Abolarin Oluwole, noticed him. Eighteen years later that boy, Quadri Aruna, beat Timo Boll to reach the Olympic quarter-finals in Rio, and in 2022 he became the first African ever in the world top 10. His story is the clearest proof that a Nigerian child with a bat, a table and a good coach can reach the very top.

This page is for young players, parents, PE teachers and coaches. It explains how talent is found in Nigeria, how the national cadet and junior pathway works, how Nigerian players earn contracts with clubs abroad, what table tennis really pays, the opportunities in para table tennis, and the coaching careers in the sport. Every figure was checked on 1 October 2026.

One honest truth first: even Nigeria's best players pay for much of their own career. Aruna has said that if he plays 12 tournaments in a year, Nigeria pays for one. Sponsors, European clubs and private supporters fund the rest. Plan for that from the start, and the sport can still give you a remarkable life.

Young Nigerian table tennis players in club shirts hold their bats beside a blue table at a training camp

Career facts · Checked 1 October 2026

Nigerian table tennis careers in numbers

  • 10

    Aruna's best world ranking

    June 2022, the first African in the top 10.

  • 7

    Olympic Games each

    Segun Toriola and Funke Oshonaike.

  • $100,000

    WTT Contender Lagos prize fund

    May 2026, in Lagos.

  • 2024

    Paralympic bronze

    Isau Ogunkunle, Paris.

The pathway at a glance

Six stages from first bat to the world stage

Ages are a guide, not a rule. Para table tennis is open at any age, and table tennis careers can last into a player's late thirties.

  1. Age 6 to 11

    School, club and community tables

    Start wherever there is a table and a coach. Aruna was spotted in an Oyo table tennis hall; Funke Oshonaike won a competition for her primary school in Shomolu.

  2. Age 9 to 12

    National Hopes camps

    The NTTF's National Hopes Week trains under-12 players and picks the best for the ITTF Africa Hopes Week and Challenge.

  3. Age 12 to 18

    Cadet and junior national teams

    National championships include cadet events, the stage where young players show national coaches what they can do.

  4. Age 16 to 22

    Senior national team

    African Championships, African Games, World Championships and, for the best, the Olympic Games.

  5. Age 18 and up

    Club contracts abroad

    Aruna joined Sporting CP in Lisbon in 2010. Nigerians have also played for clubs in France, Italy and Spain.

  6. Any age

    Para table tennis

    Nigeria has won Commonwealth para medals since 2006 and a Paralympic bronze through Isau Ogunkunle in Paris 2024.

Step by step

Eight steps to a table tennis career

Follow these in order. Each step builds on the one before it.

  1. Find a table and a coach, and stay in school

    Table tennis is cheap to start: a bat, balls and access to a table at school, a club or a stadium hall. What makes the difference is a coach who teaches proper technique early. Aruna's first coaches in Oyo Town were Abolarin Oluwole and Isa Ayoola. He also did well at school: he excelled academically at Oba Adeyemi Grammar School while he learned the game.

    • Ask your school, local sports council or state table tennis association where juniors train.
    • Practise footwork and the backhand as much as the forehand: coaches at the 2025 National Hopes Week found many young players lacked both.

  2. Get into the National Hopes programme

    The NTTF runs a National Hopes Week for under-12 players. In April 2025, 25 young players trained at the National Stadium, Lagos, from 2 to 7 April with ITTF-certified coaches, and two boys and two girls were picked for the 2025 ITTF Africa Hopes Week and Challenge, held in Lagos in July. The Hopes pathway leads on to the ITTF's World Hopes Week. Ask your state association how players are nominated.

  3. Win at state and national championships

    National championships are where national coaches and sponsors see you. In May 2021, at the NTTF National Championships, Aruna chose four elite cadets to receive a year's equipment sponsorship: rackets, clothing and shoes. Among them was Musa Mustapha, then world No. 1 under-13. Good results open doors like that.

  4. Earn your place in the national team

    Nigeria's teams play the African Championships, the African Games and the World Championships. Nigeria topped the table tennis medal table at every African Games from 1973 to 2007 and still wins medals at every edition. Be ready for hard realities, too: in 2026 Nigeria missed the team events at the African Championships after skipping the qualifiers because of cost. Read the full record on our Olympics and Games page.

  5. Play the big events at home

    International events in Nigeria let you test yourself without the cost of travel. The WTT Contender Lagos 2026, held from 19 to 24 May at the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, offered US$100,000 in prize money. Nigerians Taiwo Mati and Matthew Kuti reached the men's doubles semi-finals.

  6. Earn a club contract abroad

    Most top Nigerian players make their living in European club leagues. Aruna moved to Sporting CP in Lisbon in 2010, stayed ten years, then joined Germany's TTC Fulda-Maberzell in 2020 and Russia's Fakel-Gazprom Orenburg in 2023; in 2026 he made his debut for Amiens in France. Olajide Omotayo is based in Italy, and Segun Toriola is player-coach at Nantes. Aruna says he has helped some Nigerian players secure contracts with clubs in Europe. A genuine offer comes from a real club, in writing.

  7. Aim for the Olympics

    Nigeria has sent table tennis players to every Olympic Games since the sport joined the programme at Seoul 1988. Segun Toriola and Funke Oshonaike both played seven Olympic Games; Oshonaike was the first African woman to reach seven. Olympic places are hard to win, so steady international results matter.

  8. Build a life in table tennis that lasts

    Table tennis careers can be long: Aruna was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Blazers in America's Major League Table Tennis in 2026, at 37. Still, plan for life after playing. Take a coaching course while you compete, keep studying, and save from your first contract.

Pay

Making a living from table tennis

Table tennis pay varies hugely, and most of it comes from outside Nigeria. These are the figures and facts we could verify.

Table tennis money: verified figures, checked 1 October 2026
Source of incomeWhat we could verifySource
International prize moneyUS$100,000 total prize fund at the WTT Contender Lagos, May 2026Wikipedia, WTT Contender Lagos 2026
Government supportAruna says that of 12 tournaments a year, Nigeria pays for about one, usually an African eventPremium Times, September 2025
SponsorsAruna has been backed by equipment maker GEWO and earlier by a three-year BABAIJEBU sponsorship before Rio 2016Premium Times, September 2025
Equipment support for juniorsAruna sponsored six young Nigerians with full kit for a year in 2021ITTF, May 2021
Club salaries abroadClub contracts in Europe are private; no reliable figures are publishedSitesNG

In practice, Nigerian players fund themselves through club contracts abroad, equipment and private sponsors, prize money and coaching. At the 2025 World Championships in Doha, Aruna bought his own ticket after officials failed to act in time. Learn to manage money and sponsors early: it is part of the career.

Beyond playing

Careers around the table

Not every table tennis career is at the table. Clubs, schools and federations need coaches, umpires and organisers.

Careers around Nigerian table tennis
CareerHow to startNext level
CoachThe ITTF-PTT Level 1 course: three days on junior training, rules and umpiring, tournament organisation and para table tennis, followed by 30 hours of practical coaching. Ask the NTTF when the next one runs in Nigeria.ITTF Level 2, Level 3 and High-Level Coaching education. ITTF Level 3 was held for African coaches in Tunis in February 2025.
Youth coachHelp at Hopes camps and school programmes. Ifeoma Isaac and Ganiyu Kadiri coached the 2025 National Hopes Week in Lagos.National cadet, junior or senior coach.
Para coachPara table tennis is part of the ITTF-PTT Level 1 course, including classification and accessibility.National para team coaching.
Umpire or organiserAsk your state association or the NTTF about umpiring and volunteering at national events.International umpire and tournament director roles.

Para sport

Para table tennis: a proven medal route

Para table tennis has brought Nigeria many international medals, and it is a real route to the top for athletes with a disability.

  • Kate Nwaka Oputa won women's wheelchair singles gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
  • Nigeria won four para table tennis medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, including silvers for Nasiru Sule and Ifechukwude Christiana Ikpeoyi.
  • Isau Ogunkunle won Paralympic bronze in Paris in 2024.

If you or your child has a disability, ask the NTTF or your state sports council about para table tennis sessions. Read more on our Paralympics page.

Women's table tennis

The path for girls and women

Nigerian women have carried the flag in table tennis for decades.

  • Funke Oshonaike grew up in Shomolu, Lagos, and played seven Olympic Games from 1996 to 2020, the first African woman to do so.
  • Bose Kaffo won at least 15 All-Africa Games medals, seven of them gold, and played five Olympics.
  • Offiong Edem from Calabar has played five Olympics, most recently Paris 2024, and won African Games singles gold in 2011.
  • Fatimo Bello made her Olympic debut at Paris 2024.

Oshonaike left school early to chase the sport. It worked for her, but it is a risk: keep your education going alongside training, as Aruna did, so you have a second path if injury or selection go against you. Girls should travel with a guardian or team official, and parents should meet coaches and watch sessions.

Stay safe

Safety, scams and clean sport

A few rules protect young table tennis players and their careers.

Five rules to protect your table tennis career

  • Check every medicine and supplement before you take it, and tell every doctor that you are an athlete.
  • Never pay anyone who promises a club contract in Europe. Real clubs make written offers and pay you.
  • Never agree to lose a match or a game for money, and report any approach to your federation.
  • Children should never travel abroad for “trials” without a guardian and a written invitation from the club.
  • Rest properly between tournaments, and see a physiotherapist about any pain that will not go away.

Anti-doping

Nigeria's National Anti-Doping Act, 2025 set up the Nigeria Anti-Doping Centre, whose Technical Board was inaugurated on 3 July 2026 to educate athletes and enforce the World Anti-Doping Code. Learn the rules before your first international event.

Advice from the stars

What Nigerian table tennis people want you to know

Every quote below was checked word for word against the outlet named under it. We add one practical lesson to each.

  • You must also believe in yourself and these are some of the qualities I hope people, especially the youth, can pick from me.

    Quadri ArunaFirst African in the world top 10, Rio 2016 Olympic quarter-finalist
    ITTF, September 2020

    The lesson: Belief and hard work travel together; you need both.

  • I have assisted some of them to secure contracts with clubs in Europe and this for me is my own contribution to the sport.

    Quadri ArunaNigeria's greatest table tennis player
    ITTF, September 2020

    The lesson: When you succeed, open doors for the next player.

  • We discovered that many of them lacked proper footwork and backhand execution.

    Ifeoma IsaacLead youth coach, 2025 National Hopes Week
    BusinessDay, 6 April 2025

    The lesson: Fix the basics early: footwork and backhand win matches later.

Your first move

Where to start this week

Whatever your age, you can start this week. Tick these off:

  • Find a school, club or stadium hall with a table and a coach near you.
  • Practise footwork and your backhand every session.
  • Ask your state table tennis association about junior events and the National Hopes programme.
  • Keep your school work going alongside training.
  • Keep a record of your results and rankings.
  • Coaches: ask the NTTF about the next ITTF-PTT Level 1 course.
  • Parents: contact the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation for official programmes.

Find the federation's details on our Nigeria Table Tennis Federation page, and meet the stars on our players page.

Keep exploring

Explore Nigerian table tennis

Quick answers

Table tennis careers in Nigeria: your questions

How do children start table tennis in Nigeria?

Find a school, club or stadium hall with a table and a coach. Quadri Aruna was discovered in an Oyo table tennis hall around 1998. Under-12 players can be selected for the NTTF's National Hopes Week.

What is the National Hopes Week?

A training camp run by the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation for under-12 players. In April 2025, 25 players trained at the National Stadium, Lagos, and four were picked for the ITTF Africa Hopes Week and Challenge.

How do Nigerian table tennis players make money?

Mostly through club contracts in Europe, equipment and private sponsors, prize money and coaching. Quadri Aruna says Nigeria pays for about one of the 12 tournaments he plays each year.

Can Nigerian players join clubs abroad?

Yes. Quadri Aruna played ten years for Sporting CP in Lisbon from 2010, then in Germany, Russia and France. Olajide Omotayo is based in Italy and Segun Toriola is player-coach at Nantes.

How do I become a table tennis coach?

Start with the ITTF-PTT Level 1 course, a three-day course covering junior training, rules and umpiring, tournament organisation and para table tennis, followed by 30 hours of practical coaching. Ask the NTTF about dates.

Is there para table tennis in Nigeria?

Yes. Nigeria has won Commonwealth Games para table tennis medals since 2006, including Kate Nwaka Oputa's gold in 2010, and Isau Ogunkunle won Paralympic bronze in Paris in 2024.

Who is Nigeria's best table tennis player?

Quadri Aruna, who reached world No. 10 in June 2022, the first African in the top 10, and the Olympic quarter-finals at Rio 2016.