Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has ascended to 16th in the world in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings, following a successful appeal to the ITTF Executive Board for the restoration of his World Table Tennis Championships points. The ITTF publication notes released on Tuesday confirmed Aruna’s appeal was successful, and the previously imposed penalties were removed.
Aruna had faced ranking and monetary penalties in April for not participating in the World Championships and the WTT Championship in Korea earlier this year, a decision he strongly contested. Reflecting on the situation, Aruna stated in April, “My first sin is because I was sick with chronic diarrhea. I was not able to participate in the world championships in Korea and I could not get a doctor’s report on time while on the sick bed, and my appeal was rejected.”
Aruna now awaits formal confirmation from the ITTF regarding his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will be determined on June 11 based on the world rankings. In his quest to accumulate more points ahead of the Paris Olympics, Aruna will face home player Frane Kojic in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2024 WTT Contender Zagreb in Serbia.
He is also set to participate in his first WTT Contender Lagos from June 19 to 23 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
In related news, Spain’s Alvaro Robles has made a significant leap in the ITTF rankings, achieving a career-high ranking of 32. Robles jumped 15 places, surpassing his previous best of No.37, which he attained in early 2018.