Funke Oshonaike demands grassroots revolution in Nigerian table tennis

Seven-time Olympian Funke Oshonaike has demanded a radical restructuring of Nigerian table tennis, emphasizing the urgent need to rebuild the sport from the grassroots. Speaking at the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos, Oshonaike lamented the poor performance of home players in Africa's premier table tennis event, despite its growing international stature.

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I don’t want to go back, I just want to stay here. It has been so wonderful.

Oshonaike, a prominent figure in African table tennis and a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, expressed her dismay at the significant gap between Nigerian talent and the world's emerging stars. "It pains me so much, but it’s good to see so many athletes in the world of table tennis," she stated, highlighting the absence of Nigerian players in the semi-finals as evidence of deeper structural issues.

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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.

The Nigerian legend recalled the country's past dominance, when players like herself, Offiong Edem, and Cecilia Otu-Akpan consistently secured continental medals and performed well globally. However, she noted Egypt's rise as Africa's new table tennis powerhouse, particularly in women's events, driven by a strong youth development program. "We have to start from the beginning," Oshonaike urged, advocating for Nigeria to adopt a similar model to reclaim its competitive edge. She pointed out that the modern game increasingly favors younger athletes, making Nigeria's failure to cultivate teenage talent particularly detrimental.

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I think we have to do what the Egyptians did some years ago when we used to dominate Africa and win several gold medals.