By Rihana Adam, GNA
Accra, July 5, GNA – The Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) says it is intensifying preparations for upcoming continental competitions, expressing confidence that the country will field a strong team capable of winning medals when it hosts the ITTF-Africa Hopes Championship later this month.
Mr Charles Tachie-Menson Jnr, Technical Director of the GTTA, said the association had successfully organised a series of age-group selection competitions to identify the country’s most promising young players.
He said after organising the Under-12 selection exercise last week, the association had also conducted competitions for the U-15 and U-19 categories to ensure that only the best players represented Ghana.
He said, “I think GTTA has done very well by organising these competitions. Last week we held the Under-12 event and today we organised the Under-15 and Under-19 competitions. We believe that by the end of the exercise we will make the best selection for Ghana.”
Mr. Tachie-Menson said the recent activities demonstrated that table tennis was steadily growing in the country and thanked the GTTA President, the media and other stakeholders for their continuous support in promoting the sport.
He appealed to corporate organisations and the public to support the association financially as it prepared to host several international competitions.
According to him, the association was considering venues including the Accra Sports Stadium, the University of Ghana Stadium and the Borteyman Sports Complex for some of the events, noting that the cost of organising the competitions remained very high.
He said, “We need a lot of support because the expenses are enormous. We are calling on corporate bodies to come to our aid because we really need help.”
Mr. Tachie-Menson described the Borteyman Sports Complex as an excellent venue but noted that its distance from the city centre could affect attendance, adding that the association was assessing all available options.
He urged the public to attend the competitions and support the athletes.
He said, “As the host country, we believe we can win medals Ghana has been allocated six slots in the Under-15 and Under-19 categories and we hope to make the nation proud.”
The GTTA has already begun grooming younger talents through a specialised U-12 clinic involving over 30 players at the Accra Sports Stadium as part of preparations for the ITTF-Africa Hopes Championship scheduled for July 13 at the Borteyman Sports Complex.
The training programme featured physical conditioning, technical drills and a mini competition to select two boys and two girls to represent Ghana at the continental event.
Mr. Tachie-Menson said the Association had encountered minor challenges with age eligibility during registration but expressed satisfaction that the selection process had been completed successfully.
He added that, beyond the Hopes Championship, the GTTA was also preparing for the African Youth Championships, the Youth Cup and the African Cup, all scheduled for July.
He appealed to the media to continue giving table tennis the needed publicity despite the football season, stressing that greater public awareness would help attract more spectators and support for the sport.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade