Tunisia threatens existing order in African table tennis

When Ammous Omar and Garci Fadwa play in front of their home fans during the forthcoming ITTF African Junior Championship, they are sure Nigeria and Egypt will not dominate them in the overall medals table.

The France-based Ammous Omar, who put Tunisia on the world map last year by winning the 2016 Algeria ITTF Junior Open, believes they are fully ready for the two African powerhouses.

“Nigeria and Egypt are strong teams and they have quality players who are very talented but I think Tunisia can compete very well against these African heavyweights in the junior boys’ category. I believe we have a huge chance to fight for the title against these top teams,” Ammous Omar said.

The 17-year-old banks on the home crowd to spur them on against the big teams and players. “Honestly I don’t know what will happen in the competition because in such African championship every country will try hard to win more titles for their country. So we should expect anything to happen in the championship. Also it’s an advantage for all Tunisian players to play in front of the home fans and this can give us an edge over most of our adversaries. I don’t have personal target in the competition but I will do my best to win the titles for my country,” the teenager boasted.

Like her compatriot, Garci Fadwa is in positive mood for the championship, which serves off on April 9, “We are preparing for this major competition very seriously, and I am sure we will be fully ready for the D-Day.