BNSC backs table tennis
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday May 18, 2024 06:00
The BTTA will host the 2024 Africa Youth Championship and the 2024 Commonwealth Youth Championship in July. The Africa Youth Championship will run from July 15-21, whilst the Commonwealth Youth Championship will follow shortly after the continental showpiece.
BTTA recently unveiled a P250, 000 sponsorship with the Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) for the tournament. Speaking at the sponsorship unveiling ceremony, the BNSC's sports development officer, Peaceful Seleka said the BTTA has over the years shown a good standing with the commission in regards to hosting regional and international tournaments. Seleka said the BNSC had a special dispensation to BTTA to host this international tournament. The member associations are required to request the BNSC permission two years before hosting an international tournament.
'Because the BTTA leadership has a good record with us and they have hosted several competitions and have done well, we did not hesitate as the BNSC to give them permission to host this event though they did not meet the two years. They came just less than a year or maybe six months before the event,' said Seleka during the event held at Ave Maria Hotel and Conferencing recently. For his part, the ODC's managing director, Mmetla Masire, told the gathering that the sponsorship cements the company's dedication and aims to empower members of the sporting fraternity.
Masire further said Botswana has the potential to become a prominent hub for international table tennis events and the ODC is committed to the development of the sport from the grassroots. 'This sponsorship aims not only to provide exposure to our grassroots development athletes but also to empower our officials to meet international standards. Through partnership with the BTTA in hosting such events, we aspire to nurture medal-winning athletes and offer them more opportunities on the global stage whilst putting Botswana on the global map,' said Masire.
The BTTA is making strides in the hunt for the tournament's sponsorship in an environment that has seen sports starved of funding. The BTTA has penned an agreement with TurnStar Holdings Limited to use the Game City Roof Top Parkade as a tournament area. Ave Maria Hotel and Conferencing has also joined in as an accommodation sponsor whilst Botho University is to be the main tournament area, hosting two competition tables. The Game City Roof Top Parkade will host five playing tables and four training areas. Meanwhile, the first edition of the Phoenix Assurance Super 8 tournament will be played next Saturday.
The tournament features the top eight ranked players in both gender groups from the latest BTTA rankings. Nhabe Table Tennis Club's Tshephang Mogala is a new entrant in the men's section, whilst Annah Dick, following an impressive 2023 season, enters the competition ranked seventh in the women's category. The champions will take home P5, 000 while the silver medallists pocket P3, 000, with the third-place finishers getting P2, 000.