Table Tennis Turmoil: Omar Aser Faces Federation Chief Over Controversy at Africa Championship

What happened in Tunisia

Omar Aser, Egypt and Africa’s table tennis champion, triggered a controversy after clashing with the son of the federation president during the continental championship held in Tunisia, which Egypt ultimately won. The Egyptian Table Tennis Federation decided to refer the two players to the Olympic Committee for investigation after a highly debated incident during the Egypt–Nigeria semifinal.

Aser refused to continue his match against the Nigerian opponent because Mahmoud Ashraf Helmy, his teammate on the Egypt squad, was sitting on the benches. A video circulated on social media in which Aser declared that he would not finish the match until Helmy left the bench. He also directed his remarks toward Ashraf Abdel Fattah, a board member and head of the delegation.

Mahmoud Ashraf reportedly refused to shake hands with his teammate before the Nigeria match, an exchange described as unfortunate and which nearly escalated into a physical confrontation.

Key players and tensions

Omar Aser later described the incident in televised remarks as a fiery moment, while praising Egypt’s overall achievement of sweeping the title—men’s and women’s competitions—for the first time in 21 years. He stressed that several teammates competed while carrying injuries and noted additional absences due to injury concerns among others on the squad.

Aser revealed that the Egyptian delegation traveled to Tunisia for Africa’s championship without a accompanying physician or trainer, amid ongoing coaching changes. He said his relationship with Mahmoud Ashraf was not hostile, but he was surprised by Ashraf’s refusal to acknowledge him during pre-match handshakes and his continuing absence from the bench as the game started.

According to Aser, he attempted to greet teammates and coaches before the match but was met with refusal and a return to the substitutes’ area, which he found perplexing. He added that Ashraf allegedly attempted to confront him after the decision not to continue, and that the same player had previously faced disciplinary actions in the domestic league for misbehavior.

Investigation announced

Lt. Gen. Ashraf Helmy, president of the Egyptian Table Tennis Federation, announced that both players would be investigated. He argued that his son’s actions merit discipline while criticizing the way the incident was portrayed to the public, despite Egypt’s championship success.

Helmy also said he advised his son not to ascend the podium to avoid triggering any reactions, and that sanctions would be imposed in accordance with official reports from the delegation chief and the federation’s legal office at the Olympic Committee. He stressed that investigations would be conducted transparently outside the table tennis federation to prevent future recurrence.

The federation signaled that it would inform the Ministry of Youth and Sports with formal reports. Helmy denied suggestions that his son would face a hefty financial penalty, acknowledging a disciplinary action had been taken internally against his son for an earlier league incident. He reminded that the federation had recently benefited from government and Olympic Committee support, which helped lead to global qualification and the African title.

In closing, Helmy asserted that the Egyptian delegation did not routinely travel with a medical team for African championships and insisted that the situation would be scrutinized thoroughly to avoid repetition in coming years.