Ibrahima Diaw beats Kushal Chopda while competing under Denmark at WTT Feeder Chennai

Ibrahima Diaw, competing under Denmark at the WTT Feeder Chennai at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University in Chennai, beat India’s Kushal Chopda in a first-round match on Friday.

At 34, Diaw has played in two Olympic Games and numerous professional table-tennis events worldwide and is one of a small number of players to have represented three countries. Born in France, he won gold at the 2008 European youth championships for France, later represented Senegal at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, and is now registered to play WTT events under Denmark’s flag.

“I still love representing Senegal and am still playing for Senegal. I haven’t changed my country. I just live & train in Denmark, and they have allowed me to register for WTT tournaments from July 2026. If one day, Senegal selects me to play in the African Championships, I would, of course, be very happy to play,” said Diaw, ranked 205th in the world, having achieved a career-high of 53 in August 2022.

Diaw said his ties with India have strengthened since he began working with Harmeet Desai as a physical trainer in July; Harmeet is described as one of India’s leading paddlers. He has played in India before and views the training role as a direction for life after competitive play.

“Yeah, I’m old. I’m actually preparing for my post-career. I’ve done my course in physical training. Harmeet & I have played together in foreign leagues (in Roanne, France). My job is to actually make him fresh for every tournament,” he said.

Senegal will host the Youth Olympic Games from October 31 to November 13, and Diaw said he will support his father’s country. “It was a great honour to represent Senegal and put them on the map in table tennis. I hope the Youth Olympic Games turn out to be a huge success,” he said.