17 Dec 2024

The Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) ended the year on a high note by hosting the Commonwealth Youth Under 13 Development Championships, the Region V Under 15 tournament and the Phoenix Assurance Botswana International Open on December 12-15 at Babusi Hall in Gaborone. 

Highlighting the significance of the Commonwealth Youth U13 Development Championships, Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF) board member and president of Lesotho Table Tennis Association, Mohatlane Chabeli, said the event was primarily meant to shape the future of the sport. 

Chabeli said the development tournament was meant to nurture and spot young talent, grooming them to become future champions. 

He said the development championship was recognised by the federation as a premier platform for youth development. 

Chabeli said the competition provided young and aspiring table tennis players with a platform to strengthen their table tennis skills and get the much-needed exposure. 

The BTTA public relations officer, Tshegofatso Malepa, said South Africa’s duo of Tamika van As and Waydin Brown were unstoppable and emerged victorious in the girls and boys categories of the U13 development tournament.

Van As defeated her compatriot from South Africa, Saeema Dadaker, 3-0 in the finals. 

Botswana’s Boitlamo Nkele and South Africa’s Refilwe Phoofolo lost in the semi finals and were joint third position receiving bronze medals. 

In the boys U13 finals, Malepa said the final match was also a battle between South Africans where Brown defeated Rupert Bester 3-1. 

Botswan’s Reneilwe Lekorwe and Namibia’s Moses Chicalu were joint third having lost in the semi finals. 

The U13 development championship attracted 31 young table tennis players from the host Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

 Malepa said in the finals of the Region V finals, in the U15 boys, Caydin Bosman of Namibia defeated Shallan Mokoni of Zimbabwe 3-1. In the girls U13 finals, Lian Gebaver of Namibia defeated Phoofolo of South Africa 3-0. 

Meanwhile, Tshepiso Rebatenne cemented her dominance locally in the women’s table tennis by closing the year on a high, winning the finals of the Phoenix Assurance Botswana International Open. 

Rebatenne of Nhabe Table Tennis Club defeated Game Kebodiwang of BDF Table Tennis Club 3-1 in the women’s final.  

In the men’s final, Luke Abrahams of South Africa emerged as the champion of the competition after defeating the local lad, Boago Malobela, of Smash Maniacs Table Tennis Club 3-0. ENDS. ENDS