By Arfandi Jaafar Table tennis association welcomes new Youth and Sports Minister
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Table Tennis Association (STTA) yesterday disclosed that it was eager to pledge its support and cooperation to the newlyappointed Youth and Sports Minister Frankie Poon.
STTA president Edward Chua said he looked forward to continue working together with the ministry and he believed firmly that the development of sports would flourish under Frankie’s new leadership.
“On behalf of the table tennis fraternity in Sabah, I would like to say that we are very excited to work together with the new minister.
“We have no doubt that the leadership he brings from a proven track record in the private sector would translate into nothing short of successful achievements for the continued development of sports in Sabah,” he said when contacted in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Chua, who has been actively involved in the development of sports for many years, particularly table tennis, congratulated Frankie on being appointed as the new Youth and Sports Minister and also congratulated Arunarnsin Taib as the new Assistant Youth and Sports Minister .
Sports in Sabah will continue to move forward as long as there were capable leaders to lead the way, he stressed, adding that strong leadership was a key ingredient to forging successful relationships with all the associations.
“Over the years, the government has been very generous with its support shown to the associations because we (associations) play the important roles of creating and developing sporting talents in the state.
“And as the years have shown in the past, I believe once again that new faces in the ministry (Frankie and his assistant minister) will ensure that sports would not only continue to flourish, but also reach new heights to elevate state pride,” Chua said.
Towards this end, he disclosed that Sabah table tennis was maintaining its course alongside other states in terms of player development and achievements, as well as growth of interest among the general population.
“Table tennis is a wonderful sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. In the past, we have seen many state talents rise to national prominence, from the young groups right up to the senior and veteran categories.
“I believe this is what makes our sport special. With this in mind, we intend to continue to spread our wings so that more talents can be unearthed to help Sabah remain among the source pools of table tennis elites in the country,” Chua said.
Meanwhile, STTA secretary- general Tommy Tong, who was also a member of the executive committee in the national governing body for the sport, revealed that he and Chua will be attending a meeting in the national capital today.
“We are here to discuss some of the recent developments surrounding TTAM (Table Tennis Association of Malaysia). We are also here to talk about the National Hopes Championships which we (Sabah) will be hosting at the end of the year,” he said.
According to Tommy, the Malaysia Hopes Table Tennis Championships for under-13 and under-10 players will be held at the Maksak Hall in Likas from November 29 to December 2 this year.