Table tennis is known as a very niche sport at the international elite level, dominated for the most part by Asian countries. For instance, at the Chengdu 2023 FISU World University Games, host China swept the gold medals and won the most overall, followed by Japan and Chinese Taipei.
Despite Asia’s dominance, people enjoy table tennis worldwide, and at Rhine-Ruhr 2025, one country is working to put its team on the map.
Four African nations, represented by a total of seven student-athletes, are competing in table tennis at Messe Essen. Zambia is the continent’s largest delegation, and the only to send both male and female players to Germany, namely John Tembo and Sophie Mwitwa Nkhuwah from the University of Zambia, as well as Chanda Muma from Copperbelt University.
“I love the fact that I’m here representing my country, and I’m able to put the map out there,” Nkhuwah said. “Even though some games are not in our favour, really It’s a good achievement.”
The African state of the game
Muma started playing table tennis in grade school, inspired by his older sister Angel, one of the top players in the country. From there, he started taking the sport seriously after secondary school. For her part, Nkhuwah got into the sport at 11 when a physical education teacher brought the game into her class.
“I like the fact that it’s like a personal sport and it’s a non-contact sport,” Nkhuwah said. ”When we’re playing, it’s just you and your opponent, you know, no distractions and everything is peaceful. It’s a friendly game.”
While the table tennis community in Zambia is as niche as they come, the quality of the relationships, rather than the quantity of people, is what truly defines the community.
“The love and the unity that we share as a community, for me, that’s one thing that motivates me and encourages me,” Muma said.
Nkhuwah explained that the sport can give young Zambians a sense of purpose.
“There are a lot of youths not doing anything, not in school and everything,” she said. “So, table tennis gives them a platform to do something with their lives… and then also, it motivates them to be better people.”
From Zambia to Germany
Among the trio, only Tembo had international experience prior to Rhine-Ruhr 2025.
For Zambia, he explained that the Games not only offer a chance for international competition, but a chance to experience different styles of play and compete against other nations with better results.
“How they play is quite amazing,” Tembo said.
“I’m honoured to represent Zambia on the international map,” Muma added. “And for me, I’m really grateful.”
While other nations have coaches sitting outside the competition area, during Tembo and Muma’s matches on Sunday, 20 July, Nkhuwah occupied those reserved seats.
“When (Muma)’s playing, and he gets scared, sometimes he panics,” Nkhuwah said. “I was just there to calm him down. he knows how to play. He knows his game, so I was just telling him, ‘Relax and breathe, watch, and hear’… I was just telling him to play his game.”
Though the sport is underrepresented in their country and their continent, and the results may not have been what they had hoped, these Zambian student-athletes gained invaluable experience, practice, and memories while representing their nation at these FISU games.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity that was given to me here, because I’ve really learned a lot,” Nkhuwah said. “Even though results weren’t in my favour, I am motivated to do more and to train harder so I can become better next time. I want my next Games to be thrilling.”
In addition to the men’s singles group stage of the competition, the team finals were also played on Sunday. China saw its gold-medal stronghold at the FISU Games come to an end, losing the women’s contest 3-2 against Japan and the men’s confrontation by a similar score versus Chinese Taipei.
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Fisher Madsen, FISU Young Reporter, USA
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
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