Nigerian table tennis player Offiong Edem says Nigerians should offer more support and not criticisms to athletes representing the country at the ongoing Paris Olympic Games, following the exits of Quadri Aruna and Omotayo Olajide in the men’s singles on Saturday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria had a bad start in the table tennis event on Saturday with the two representatives in the men’s singles, Aruna and Olajide, crashing out after just one game each.

While Olajide’s 4-1 defeat against Iran’s Noshad Alamiyan didn’t come as a surprise, Aruna’s ouster was shocking as the African champion threw away a three-set lead and lost 4-3 against Romania’s Eduard Ionescu.

After winning the first three sets (11-8, 11-9, 11-6), Aruna was expected to close out the encounter in the fourth set, but a combination of his complacency and Ionescu’s resilience led to a brilliant comeback by the 19-year-old Romanian, who advanced to the round of 32 stage.