Kenya to host regional table tennis tournament

The International Table Tennis Federation has awarded Kenya, the rights to host the 2016 ITTF – Southern Africa Hopes Week & Challenge Tournament that will be held between 26th and 31st of March this year in Nairobi.

The 2016 ITTF-Africa Southern Hopes Week & Challenge is open to the following National Associations that are affiliated to the Africa Table Tennis Federation – Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo Brazzaville, Congo Democratic, Cote D’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea.

Other countries are Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome e Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and hosts Kenya.

ITTF Technical expert Ronald Mugwanya, said that he was in Nairobi as part of the first Region 2 ITTF-Africa Development Program, which trained Umpires & Referees for upcoming events in the region, with the “2016 ITTF-African Southern Hopes Week & Challenge taking place in Nairobi in March, it goes to show that Kenya Table Tennis Association is in the forefront of developing the sport in the region”.

He further stated that as part of the upcoming project, “the ITTF have also appointed Ahmed Dawlatly, the ITTF Technical Expert to lead the training camp and coach education”.

Through the support of ITTF, Kenya Table Tennis Association has benefited greatly through the support of Umpires Referee and Coach Education and Athlete Development opportunities.

Speaking at Makini School, where Kenya Table Tennis Association was registering over 200 junior players into the junior development program being run by the Association, KTTA Chairman, Andrew Mudibo said that: “Kenya Table Tennis Association will continue to target junior development programs under the “Tucheze Tebo” Initiative so that junior players in Kenya can be given the opportunity to develop their talent and at the same time offer the youth of Kenya a transformation in their lives through the various partnerships that the Association is entering into”.

The head of the Kenya Table Tennis Association junior development program Joseph Okelo welcomed the hosting of the Africa Hopes week and challenge event in Kenya, which he said “was in line with the Associations junior development strategy for developing the talent of junior players below the age of 12 years”.

During the announcement a total of over 200 junior players under the age of 12 years were recruited to be members of the Junior Development Program that will also be spread to the other parts of the Country.

“Kenya Table Tennis Association is already in discussion with various partners who are willing to partner up with them in developing Junior and Youth programs in the Country with the Association and this is what we will continue to do as we aim to improve our standards of playing, said Mudibo”