Eight table tennis players win Rio 2016 Olympic Games spots at African Games
Egypt leads the way as top four in men’s and women’s singles tournaments in Brazzaville earn berths in Brazil
Egypt’s Omar Assar won gold in Brazzaville and a place in Rio (Getty Images/Warren Little)
The first eight African table tennis players to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have been confirmed by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The top-four finishers in the men’s and women’s singles tournaments at the 11th African Games in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo, earned places at next year’s Games in Brazil.
Egypt was the dominant nation, taking both the individual gold medals and one of the silvers.
Han Xing, representing the Republic of Congo, has qualified for Rio 2016 (Photo: Getty Images/Rob Carr)
In the men's tournament, Egypt's Omar Assar beat Nigerian Quadri Aruna in the final, with losing semi-finalists Khalid Assar of Egypt and Wang Jianan of the Republic of Congo also booking their spots in Rio.
Dina Meshref came out on top against Nadeen El-Dawlatly in an all-Egyptian women's final, with defeated semi-finalists Han Xing of the Republic of Congo and Olufunke Oshonaike of Nigeria also winning berths in Brazil.
The remaining four places for African players (two for men, two for women) will be decied at the ITTF African Qualification tournament in Khartoum, Sudan, on 16-18 February 2016.
Follow the race to qualify for the Olympic Games here.
