ARUNA QUADRI AND IMPERATIVES FOR SPORTS DEVELOPMENT
Recently, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri emerged as winner of the men’s singles event at the 2018 International Table Tennis Federation, ITTF, African Championships in Mauritius. Quadri achieved this feat in a grand style as he did not drop a point from the first round until the final when he defeated Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh 4-1 to win his first African Championships title. In 2016, Quadri, who is presently ranked number 18 in the world narrowly lost to Egyptian Omar Assar. Before his current ranking, in 2014 Aruna was ranked number 30 in world table tennis. That same year, the ITTF adjudged him the Star Player of the Year.
With this feat, the Nigerian rising table tennis star has won virtually all the titles in Africa with the exception of the All African Games. It will be recalled that a few weeks ago, Aruna won the ITTF Challenge Nigeria Open in Lagos. Keen followers of the ping pong game are not likely to be surprised about his rising profile. In the last few years, the Oyo State-born superstar has been making stable progress as a globally renowned table tennis player. For instance, at both the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, he competed for Nigeria in the men’s singles table tennis event and got to the quarter-finals stage on both occasions. He was also part of the Nigerian team that won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Similarly, in the 2017 ITTF World Challenge Bulgaria Open, he advanced to the semi-finals where he was defeated in a highly entertaining and captivating match by eventual winner Dimitriji Ovtcharov. A major feature of Aruna’s winning recipe is his forehand style which has proved quite irresistible.
It was his brilliant performance at the men’s singles event of the 2016 Summer Olympics where he was seeded number 27 that particularly announced him to the ping pong world. In the first round, he played and defeated Slovakian Wang Yang (4-1). In the second round, he played number five seed Chuang Chih-yuan whom he repeatedly frustrated with his unconventional playing style. Aruna eventually defeated Chaung in possibly the biggest upset of the tournament, without losing a single set (4-0). In the third round, he faced and defeated famous German player, Timo Boll, thus earning a spot in the Quarter Finals which he lost to then number one seed, Chinese Ma Long.
A quiet but very hardworking sportsman, Aruna has been variously described as a quintessential professional who gives his all to his chosen profession. While others brag around town showing off their feats, Aruna is quite modest and always eager to cover new grounds. For instance, rather than embarking on a prolonged party disposition to commemorate his recent conquest at Mauritania, Aruna simply said that the victory is now in the past and that his focus is now on winning the elusive gold at the next edition of the All African Games. That, indeed, is the hallmark of great athletes. Today, thanks to his hard work, tenacity of purpose and hunger to achieve more, aside being the 18th ranked table tennis player in the world, Aruna is the highest ranked African in the world. For the record, he is the first Nigerian and second ever African tennis player to make ITTF top18 rating.
Incidentally, Quadri did not actually start as a table tennis player. He was originally into athletics while at the secondary school. His foray into the racy ping pong world began in the late 90s and ever since he has not looked back. Till date, his biggest career highlight was winning the Polish Open in 2017, thus making him the first African to win an ITTF competition outside of the continent.
With the current giant strides of Aruna in table tennis, it has now become imperative for all key stakeholders in the sports sector to come up with the needed initiatives that could further promote sports development in the country. Today, sport has become a business concern that contributes to gross earnings of many countries. Sadly, things aren’t really in the right perspective with sports in Nigeria.
A visit to the various stadia across the country would surely reveal the pathetic situation of athletes preparing to represent us in major sporting events as they train in most awful conditions, sometimes depending on support from family members and friends, among others. Indeed, it is always difficult to secure the needed fund for these athletes to attend major tourneys. The implication of neglecting sports is far too grievous. We inadvertently shut the door against thousands of Nigerians who would have used same as escape route from poverty.
Globally, sports have become a huge industry through which lots of youths have got fame and fortune.