Botswana finishes 8th as Egypt takes table tennis crown
Kabelo Boranabi | Tuesday July 23, 2024 08:55
The competition came to a conclusion on Sunday evening putting to an end to intense week-long action, which began on July 15. The tournament held at the Botho University Multi-Purpose Hall was the first ever continental table tennis competition hosted in Botswana. The 2024 edition had a record of 18 nations competing for African glory. Egypt arrived in Gaborone as the tournament favourites alongside Tunisia and had their chances boosted by the absence of Nigeria. Egypt finished top with 23 medals consisting of eight gold, seven silver and eight bronze. Tunisia finished in second place with 10 medals, five being gold, four silver and a bronze. To complete the top three were Madagascar who were southern Africa's highest ranked team in the competition. It was a much improved performance from the team as they collected three medals.
They won a gold medal in the girls Under-15 category, halting the North Africans dominance. South Africa and Uganda finished fourth and fifth respectively, while Cameroon's sole representative Batix Ylane's silver medal in the Under-19 boys singles ensured a seventh place finish for the West Africans. The hosts' Junior Diteemane were eighth on the list with a single bronze courtesy of the Under-19 girls' team. The tournament served as a qualifier for the ITTF World Championships to be held in Sweden later this year. This year's edition had the highest winner's prize at $800 (approximately P10,000) and it was in the singles of the men and women's Under-19 category. MmegiOnline was the broadcast partner of the 2024 ITTF Africa Youth Championship.