NTTF gets German coach, picks Toriola, Oshonaike for 2015 African Games

TO strengthen its technical crew for the 2015 African Games, the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has engaged the services of former German national team coach, Martin Adomeit as its technical adviser. The federation has also named veteran players, Segun Toriola and Olufunke Oshonaike in its Congo 2015 team.

The federation revealed that the National Sports Commission (NSC) made the engagement of the coach possible through its financial support.

The German tactician, who guided Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri to the quarterfinal of the 2014 ITTF World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany, is expected to arrive in Nigeria this week to start working with the team in readiness for the games.

From 1978 to 1980 Martin Adomeit worked at youth level of clubs with Germany-based Soest TV and TuS Ampen. In 1981 he joined the TuS Jahn Soest and was part of the technical crew of the team’s female team in the Bundesliga League and in 1984, he took over as coach of the women’s team of the club. He also served from 1988 to 1997 as honourary coach of the West German Table Tennis Association (WTTA).

In 1996, the German Table Tennis Association DTTB appointed him as an assistant coach and in 1997 he ended all previous activities at club levels and took over the post of national coach of the German female team.

Under his tutelage, the German women’s team won three consecutive times, including the European League, the 1998 and 1999 European Ladies Team Championship, while in 2000 the team won silver.