Nigerian table tennis star Fatimo Bello will not compete in the ITTF World Cup in Macao due to visa complications, Sports247 reports.
In a swift move the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has replaced her with Hong Kong’s Chengzhu Zhu.
Bello, based in Italy, had her visa application denied by the Chinese Embassy in Lagos, despite being initially listed for the tournament as one Africa’s representative.
Bello earned her spot in the tournament by finishing among the top four in the Women’s event at the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis.
She was set to make her ITTF World Cup debut but she will have to wait until next year to participate in the ITTF World Cup, potentially in 2026.
With her absence Nigeria is now left with only Aruna Quadri in the Africa team to the competition that will begin in Macao, China on Tuesday April 14 2025 and due to end on 20th April 2025.
