Change of coach was responsible for my early exit in Tokyo Olympic – Aruna Quadri

Highly-ranked Nigerian Table Tennis player, Aruna Quadri said the change of his coach was the major reason for his abysmal performance at the just-concluded Tokyo Olympics in Japan.

He made this disclosure during an interview with an Abuja-based radio station, NigInfo.

Quadri who expressed his displeasure about the change of his coach, revealed that he knew he wasn’t going to do well at the Olympic despite being the captain of Team Nigeria.

He further disclosed that he went and complained to the minister of Youth and Sports about the change but he couldn’t do anything. He however exonerated the minister from those responsible for his ordeal.

“So I did what he told me not to do. I have to speak with the Sports Minister. Almost all the efforts proved abortive. I know it was not going to be a very good one if I said that I won’t go, it wouldn’t sound nice. So I decided to go because of my family, my fans. It was a very bad one. I wasn’t comfortable. The minister was supposed to fight, he fought with his body and soul but at the end, the overall power is from the Nigeria Olympics Committee, NOC,” he concluded.

The highest ranked-African Table Tennis player however claimed that the country’s contingents did well at the Olympic compare to the Olympics in Rio, Brazil where they won bronze.

It will be recalled that Team Nigeria won two medals – silver and bronze at the Tokyo Olympics courtesy of Blessing Oborodudu and Ese Brume respectively.