Nigeria’s national U-21 champion Taiwo Mati has been listed among the awardees of 2021 With The Future In Mind (WFIM) scholarship by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Mati who has been consistent with his performance in recent time was among the 13 players under the Prominent Youth Players category by the world table tennis ruling body.
The African cadet champion is one of the two African players listed alongside Egypt’s Hana Good who is the world’s number one U-15 player (girl).
According to the statement issued by ITTF at the weekend, WIFM has been a core component of the Athletes Development Model since its inception, targeting prospects from all over the world in the pursuit of their Olympic Dream.
“Following the adoption of the new ITTF Strategic Plan in 2018, support was expanded to a group of athletes from established markets with the aim of further globalizing competitiveness within our sport, an approach that is reflected in and continued for this year’s supported athletes.
The scholarship according to ITTF High Performance Elite Coach Massimo Costantini, The support is intended as an additional source from their existing planning with national teams and clubs commitments among others, so they (athletes) can use the scholarship for strengthening overall preparation by participating in specific training camps and competitions.
With the postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games around the corner, WFIM scholarship is a joint programme of Olympic Solidarity and the ITTF, while the support has also been extended for some of the qualified athletes for Tokyo 2020 in special consideration by Olympic Solidarity and topped up by ITTF High Performance & Development.
Already, three Tokyo-bound African stars — Ibrahima Diaw of Senegal, Egypt’s Yousra Helmy, and Tunisia’s Fadwa Garci are among the 17 athletes selected across the world for the gesture.
