Mayor applauds ping pong growth
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday July 19, 2024 16:00
Abrahams was speaking at the official opening of the 2024 ITTF-Africa Youth Championship held at the Ave Maria Conference Centre on Wednesday afternoon. Abrahams expressed pride in Gaborone being chosen as the host city of the prestigious continental event. He said the ITTF-Africa Youth Championships adds to the rich history of hosting major sporting events held in the capital city. Abrahams said this has only become possible due to the strides made by the BTTA in developing the sport in recent years. 'Table tennis is a sport that has been growing in popularity in Botswana, especially amongst our youth. This championship provides a wonderful opportunity for our young athletes to compete against the best in Africa and to be inspired by the skill and talent on display,' he said.
Abrahams further expressed gratitude to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the ITTF-Africa for entrusting the BTTA with the responsibility of hosting the event. 'We have been working tirelessly to ensure that everything is in place for a successful and memorable championship. To the young athletes, I encourage you to give your best, compete with integrity, and most importantly, and enjoy the experience. This is your moment to shine, to inspire the next generation of table tennis champions, and to forge lasting friendships and connections with your peers from across the continent,' he said. The competition is the first of its magnitude to be held in the country as previously, the BTTA only hosted regional tournaments. Team Botswana has found the going tough against the continent's best. The action continues this afternoon with the doubles finals while the singles set to start. Egypt has taken the lead as they successfully defended the cadet Under-15 boys and girls titles with 3-0 wins over rivals and tournament favourites, Tunisia. The team went on to complete their treble with a 3-0 win over South Africa in the junior Under-19 girls team event. Egypt was denied a clean sweep in the team events by Tunisia as the latter managed a hard-fought 3-1 win in the Under-19 boys final.
Medal tally as of Thursday, July 18
1. Egypt: Three Gold, One Silver 2. Tunisia: One Gold, Two Silver 3. South Africa: One Silver, One Bronze 4. Botswana, Uganda, Madagascar, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia: One Bronze