Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna has moved up to 16th in the world in the latest International Table Tennis Federation rankings after he won his appeal to the ITTF Executive Board for his World Table Tennis Championships points to be restored.
According to the publication notes for the latest world rankings released on Tuesday, the ITTF stated that Aruna’s appeal was successful, and his penalty was removed.
Aruna was slammed with two rankings and monetary penalties in April for not participating in the World Championships and the WTT Championship in Korea earlier this year, a decision the player vehemently protested.
“My first sin is because I was sick with chronic diarrhea. I was not able to participate in world championships in Korea, and I could not get a doctor’s report on time while on the sick bed, and my appeal was rejected,” he said in April.
However, Aruna awaits formal confirmation from ITTF for his qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on June 11, when the world rankings will be used to determine the final list of players who will be in Paris next month.
Also, Aruna’s quest to garner more points ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France has pitted him against home-boy Frane Kojic in the first round of the men’s singles at the 2024 WTT Contender Zagreb, taking place in Serbia.
He will return home to take part in his first WTT Contender Lagos from June 19 to 23 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Alvaro Robles has become the biggest mover in the ITTF rankings as the Spaniard achieved another career-high ranking. It has been over six years since Robles has scored a career-high ranking, as the Spaniard kicked off 2018 sitting at No. 37 in the world and had never been as high since. But with the latest ratings, Robles jumped 15 places up the ladder to 32, shaving five places off his previous record.
