It is the backbone of athletes’ development, from grassroots to an elite level.
Joe Molefe, president of the Eastern Gauteng Table Tennis Association, is a man who is hoping to achieve his vision of developing table tennis players from township areas and getting them to a competitive level provincially and nationally, by providing these local athletes with the correct coaching.
Over the weekend of December 5 and 6, the provincial association held a coaching session for 16 emerging table tennis players at the John Barrable Hall.
The junior players with potential who participated in the coaching clinic are from the previously disadvantaged areas of Katlehong, Duduza and Wattville.
“Our players don’t have the basic skills to succeed in the sport and we need to teach them at an early age,” Molefe told the City Times.
“We want these young players to be the best in the country, by giving them coaching on a more regular basis.
“There are so many things that went wrong with the development of players in the past and we do not want to repeat the same mistakes.”
With regard to the status quo of the sport in the Eastern Gauteng region, Molefe said that sponsorships and the availability of quality coaches is a major stumbling block in delivering quality competitors.
“We are fine with resources and have distributed tables and equipment to various townships in Ekurhuleni where our focus is strong,” he added.
“We still, however, need to provide more serious and regular training if we are to be competitive in Africa.”
