Nigerian table-tennis youngsters Umar Ayoola and Elizabeth Emelike have earned selection for the 2026 ITTF World Hopes Week and Challenge in Sheffield, United Kingdom, from October 12 to 18.
The duo secured their places after impressive performances at the Africa Hopes Week and Challenge in Accra, Ghana, and are among six African players selected for the global talent-development programme. Egypt’s Zeina Farouk and Adam Lashin, Tunisia’s Ritej Charif and Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira are the other African representatives.
The six Africans will join 30 other Under-12 players from 22 countries for a week of intensive training and competition at the English Institute of Sport. Organised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and Table Tennis England, the event is the final stage of the year-long Continental Hopes Programme.
Participants will receive technical training from international coaches and compete in the Challenge tournament, while also being assessed on their skills, attitude and long-term potential.
Top performers could earn places in the prestigious Hopes Team and a pathway into the ITTF High Performance programme, giving Ayoola and Emelike valuable international experience and an opportunity to showcase Nigeria’s growing youth talent.
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