Aruna Quadri, Africa’s table tennis champion has signed a three-year endorsement deal with Nigeria’s sports betting firm, Premier Lotto Ltd., also known as “Baba Ijebu’’.
The International Table Tennis Federation made the disclosure on Sunday on its Africa twitter account, @ITTFAfrica.
The deal, signed at the ongoing 2017 ITTF World Cup in Liege, Belgium, is valued at 75,000 dollars and will also boost the player’s preparations ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The tweet said: “This is the first in Africa for table tennis and the first sports ambassador for Premier Lotto.
“The deal is valued at 75,000 dollars with annual payment of 25,000 dollars and this will surely help the player to take part in many competitions in readiness for the 2020 Olympics Games.’’
On his part, Quadri expressed excitement via his twitter handle @AQttennis.
He stated: “I am so happy with this development, it’s a dream come true for me because I’ve been looking for opportunity like this from my home country.
“This is a morale booster for me to continue to work hard and hoping that @premierbetng support will help me attend more competitions and make Nigeria proud.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 29-year-old was knocked out of the event by Rio Olympics bronze medalist Jun Mizutani in the Round of 16 on Saturday.
The tournament which began on Friday will end on Sunday.