Nigeria, May 25 -- Nigeria's seven-time Olympian Funke Oshonaike has called for an urgent grassroots overhaul of Nigerian table tennis, insisting the country must rebuild from the foundation level if it hopes to compete again with the world's elite.

Speaking to the press during the 2026 WTT Contender Lagos at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, the Nigerian legend admitted it was painful watching home players fail to reach the latter stages of Africa's biggest table tennis event despite the tournament's growing global reputation.

Oshonaike, one of the most iconic figures in African table tennis history, returned to Nigeria for the tournament after attending meetings in Abuja in her role as a member of the Interna...