Young umpire will have eyes firmly on the ball in Germany
Tiffany selected for world champs
SOUTH African table tennis umpire, Tiffany Adams, continues to see her star rise as she prepares to umpire in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Championships in Germany next week.
The 27-year-old will be looking to learn as much as she can from the event as it will be her first time umpiring at the ITTF championships.
“I was most pleasantly surprised when I was informed of my selection to be an umpire at the upcoming World Champs in Düsseldorf. This is my first World Championship that I will be umpiring at, not representing the Eastern Cape but representing South Africa.
“I am really looking forward to it, being able to see the world’s best table tennis players in action and to build solid networking there,” she told Saturday Dispatch from Germany yesterday.
Adams is currently staying in Hannover on a year-long reverse youth training programme, where she is a sports teacher at an elementary school and coaches table tennis.
“In simple terms, I am acting as a sports ambassador for the Eastern Cape here and the programme is and regulations of table tennis but the practical side of it is more important.”
Adams admits that she is inspired by her father, Nigel Adams, who himself is an internationally recognised umpire.
“I have to say that my inspiration and role model is and has been my father,” she said.
“He is also a qualified ITTF international white badge umpire with heaps of experience and I have learnt so much from him over the years.
“His ongoing support, guidance and motivation regarding the sport has been absolutely astounding and I am definitely following in his footsteps.”
Adams will be heading back home in July and has big plans for the future.
“My goals for the future entail promoting development of women in sport,” Adams said.
“I would like to be more involved with conducting technical skills training for women and to start table tennis clubs, more especially focusing on females, encouraging them and to do more table tennis coaching for girls.”