26 Nov 2023

Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) has sent a team of four players to represent the country at the 2023 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Southern Africa Hopes and Challenge Week held in Windhoek, Namibia.

Under the guidance of BTTA Development Coordinator and Coach, Godirileone Bagwasi, the quartet of Reneilwe Lekorwe, Tinashe Dzvaka, Tshegofatso Buisanang and Boitlamo Nkele left for Windhoek on Saturday.

According to BTTA Public Relations Officer (PRO), Tshegofatso Malepa the games were scheduled to complete on December 01. The team is expected to return home on December 02.

 Malepa said team Botswana would compete against players from South Africa, Zimbabwe and the host Namibia.  She said participating in such international competitions would not only expose the young players to a high-performance culture but would equally impart in them, valuable experience that would contribute to their overall development in the sport.

Meanwhile, the PRO said ITTF Africa has granted Botswana permission through BTTA to host the Africa Youth Championships on July 15-21, 2024.

She said the Africa Youth Championship would be followed by the Commonwealth Youth Championships, which would also be hosted by the country on July 23-28, 2024.

Malepa said the two international tournaments would cater for players in the age category of 15-19 years.

She said in line with Botswana hosting policy, Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) had granted BTTA permission to host the championships based on its successful track record of hosting events of such statute.

“This is a significant development for BTTA and testament to its ongoing commitment to the development of table tennis at grassroots level. By focusing on nurturing young talent, BTTA aims to strengthen the national team in the long run,” said Malepa.

She said hosting the tournaments would not only provide valuable exposure for young table tennis players in Botswana but would also offer then an opportunity against top talent from Africa and the Commonwealth.

In the meantime, player coach Boitshwarelo Butale is also in Windhoek to participate in the Gender My Strength ITTF programme that would run concurrently with the 2023 ITTF Southern Africa Hopes and Challenge Week.

Malepa said the programme was specifically designed for enhancing and advancing women participation in table tennis.  She said it was also aimed at active female coaches in taking their career to the next level.

“The primary focus of the programme is to empower female coaches by providing them with the necessary skills to improve their leadership, management and coaching abilities,” said Malepa.

She said the Gender My Strength ITTF programme was a significant step towards promoting women’s participation and leadership in table tennis. ENDS