Nigeria, Feb. 19 -- Nigeria's disappointing outing at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan, South Korea, has coach Segun Toriola pointing to a crucial factor: the absence of the country's star player, Quadri Aruna.

The tournament in Busan presented Nigeria with another chance to qualify for the team event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

However, the country's lacklustre performance amidst 39 other hopeful nations has dashed that dream of staging a return having last featured in the Table Tennis team event since Rio 2016.

Aruna's unexpected illness, just days before the competition, played a significant role, according to Toriola.

"Unfortunately, I will not be participating in world championships in Busan, I am seri...