The quartet of Tshenolo Mooketsi, Arthur Kgaswe, Tshireletso Samuel, and Tshephang Motlamme dusted off their rackets and took to the table at the championship held in India. The four players are part of the local contingent that has been awarded a scholarship through the Indian High Commission and the Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA). The BTTA has just over 12 players who have received the scholarship from the Indian High Commission. Over the last weekend, the local players were seemingly in a menacing mood and were unfortunate not to win the championship.
In the men's singles, former top-ranked table tennis player, Mooketsi emerged as the best-performing local player at the championship. He lost in the final match of the men's singles to win a silver medal. Mooketsi, alongside Kgaswe, were knocked out of the men's doubles semi finals and took home a bronze medal while Tshephang Motlamme also finished third in the women's singles. The quartet is to remain in India until the completion of their study programmes as they hone their table tennis skills. There has, however, not been any local player who has competed in the India national championship but the contingent has made progress in both the college and regional championship.
The BTTA has in late July sent one player to India through the scholarship programme. Nhabe Table Tennis Club's Annah Dick has been admitted to the MA Sociology programme at the Andhra University. "The ICCR Scholarship is a testament to the strong ties between Botswana and India, promoting cultural exchange and academic excellence. This opportunity will not allow Dick to advance her table tennis skills by competing at an international level," a statement from BTTA reads. Dick has since left for India to pursue both sporting and academic excellence.
