by Olalekan Okusan, ITTF Africa Press Officer

Star of the show was Frenchman Abdel-Kader Salifou, he lived up to expectations winning the Men’s Singles event at the final expense of Nigeria’s Azeez Solanke.

Most certainly, his efforts delighted Thiery Kouadjo, the Media Officer for the Ivory Coast Table Tennis Federation.

“He really made the difference in every game.” Thiery Kouadjo

Winner on the ITTF World Tour in 2013 in Croatia, Egypt and Morocco; Abdel-Kader Salifou proved a step ahead of his adversaries; his efforts a motivating force for all concerned.

“We hope to contact the African Table Tennis Federation and register this Abidjan International Open in its calendar with the hope that it will make International Table Tennis Federation list in future. We are also going to focus on communicating with many countries who are willing to participate in the 2019 edition.” Thiery Kouadjo

Most certainly the presence of the likes of Adbel-Kader Salifou and Azeez Solanke set an example for the host nation’s players.

“Ivorian players have had the satisfaction of competing in an international tournament against other countries and this confrontation has allowed them to improve their level of play; this kind of tournament will give them the needed exposure to compete against the big table tennis nations.” Thiery Kouadjo added.

Notably, Ghana’s Felix Lartey finished in the bronze medal position.