Table tennis a beacon of hope
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday December 3, 2022 06:00
However, all is not lost as some codes such as Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) are like stars shining in the dark. At the beginning of the current financial year, the BTTA was promoted under the tier system, whereby sport codes are allocated funds according to their performance. The association has been promoted from tier four to tier two. The association continues to prove that they are a beacon of hope among the chaotic instability sweeping across sport. BTTA president, Kudzanani Motswagole and the executive committee were given the mandate to transform table tennis from amateur level to the semi-professional level in 2019.
Motswagole said the stability that reigns at the BTTA is teamwork between the executive committee, clubs and players. He said teamwork and hard work are the recipes for stability in the association. He said being viewed in a positive light by the sport leadership is a motivation. The BTTA has an established player ranking system that will be extended to the BTTA youth team. Players are ranked according to their performance and these ranking results are published after every tournament. “We have managed to turn around the association and improve our governance issues. We currently use e-commerce in our registrations and awarding of prizes. We no longer carry cash and that is an achievement. Every month we host a tournament, which has minimum prize money of P3,000 and that is enough for one to survive. That has worked for us tremendously,” he said.
Since the beginning of this year, the BTTA has hosted eight tournaments with the last event, the Botswana International Open Championship, slated for December 10-12 in Jwaneng. The recent tournament that BTTA hosted was India@75 Table Tennis Tournament in Gaborone, which was sponsored by the High Commission of India. “The relationship we have with sponsors is a result of fulfilling standards that we have set; standards that can impress sponsors. Nobody will want to associate with a stagnant brand so we always set the bar high. At the end of the day, we appear as if we are special people. When we set up for a tournament, we make it like it is going to be broadcast live on television. That on its own keeps us on our toes,” he said.
Motswagole said regarding players' development, they are doing well but they cannot expect what they found in 2019 to have transformed in such a short time. He said they want players to win medals and benefit from platforms of competition through prize money. He said the players are empowered through employment and scholarships through the High Commission of India. This week, BTTA launched the Botswana International Open Championship sponsors. The companies that are backing the tournament are Wepex Geotechnical (P5,000), Rosedale Holdings (P10,000), Blue Horizon Resources (P20,000), Aqualogic Consulting (P10,000), Cowburn Isherwood and Associates (P20,000), and Phoenix Assurance of Botswana (P35,000), bringing the total sponsorship amount to P100,000. BTTA will spend P50,500 in prize money. “We invaded Jwaneng to seek sponsorship and these are our new sponsors. That puts us ahead of our competitors because the idea is to turn table tennis into a professional sport. We cannot celebrate now and it is a long journey. We want to engage with them (sponsors) further for medium to long-term partnerships, not only for one tournament. Let us host this tournament and we will see their impression,” he said.
The Botswana International Open Championship will attract players from Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Tshepiso Rebatenne is the women's defending champion while Bakang Maloka is the reigning men's titleholder. The championship is divided into singles (men and women), mixed doubles, and Under-12 junior singles. Both men and women will receive equal prize money.
Singles: Gold medal (P6,000); silver medal (P3,000); semi-finalist (P1,500) and quarter-finalists (P1,000)
Mixed doubles: Gold medal: P2,500; silver, P1,000 Junior singles (boys and girls): Gold: P1,000 shopping voucher; silver, P500 shopping voucher. Loyalty award winners will bank P1,000 each.