The BK Arena, the largest indoor arena in East Africa, is gearing up to host two prestigious table tennis tournaments—the African Cup and the Olympics Qualification Tournament—from May 12th to 18th, 2024.
This event promises an exciting showdown as the top table tennis players from across the continent vie for glory and coveted tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France.
Marking a historic moment for the 10,000-capacity indoor arena, this will be the first time a table tennis tournament is held indoors. Khaled El-Salhy, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF), expressed confidence in the Rwanda Table Tennis Association (RTTA) to deliver a world-class event.
“Rwanda had a very successful bid presentation at the 2023 ITTF-Africa AGM in Tunisia to host the 2024 ITTF-Africa Cup, as well as the African Olympics Qualification Tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” El-Salhy stated.
“The delegates at the AGM voted overwhelmingly for Rwanda as a new host in Africa with great ambition to promote table tennis in the eastern part of Africa and to meet all the requirements set by the ITTF and ATTF for professional organisation.”
Given their experience in hosting regional tournaments, El-Salhy believes the RTTA is well-equipped to organise a successful event on a continental scale.
Anticipating thrilling competitions, particularly in the Olympic Qualification Tournament, El-Salhy expressed confidence in the high level of competition.
“I believe it will be two fantastic events, with all our top players competing in the African Cup, followed by the big battle to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” El-Salhy added.
“All the players are working hard to qualify for the Olympic Games, and we are looking forward to having the best possible representatives for Africa in Paris to ensure we have better performance and results than the previous Olympic Games.”
El-Salhy revealed that the ATTF has been closely monitoring the preparations in Kigali and is committed to providing the necessary support to the RTTA to ensure the success of these significant tournaments.