Mmegi

Slow start for Indiabased paddlers

- KABELO BORANABI

Just more than a year ago, table tennis player, Phetso Jack jetted off to India to pursue both sporting and academic ambitions. The 21-year-old became the first beneficiar­y of the Botswana Table Tennis Associatio­n’s (BTTA) partnershi­p with the India High Commission of ICCR scholarshi­ps. Since Jack, nine more players have been awarded the scholarshi­ps. India is one of the leading nations in the world in the developmen­t of ping-pong, both at the national team level and in domestic competitio­ns.

The India-based entourage is expected to reap rich from the Indian table tennis setting as the BTTA looks to form a formidable national team for the future. However, a year later since the first player landed in the South Asian state, there has not been much progress for the group on the table.

The players are yet to go profession­al as they are still playing as semi-profession­als. No player has been recruited by an elite club in India and most are signed to academies. Jack is in the books of Stag Academy alongside 19-year-old Kaone Moroke.

Wame Jawe, 20, is with Priyanka Table Tennis Academy while Tshirelets­o Samuel, 23, is attached to the Ahmedabad Sports Academy. The other player in India is 23-year-old Esther Mpotsang. Only five from the group are actively involved in the game.

There have been struggles for others to find clubs with Oratile Kedisalets­e nearing her first half-year in India but remaining clubless.

Arthur Kgaswe and Thembilihl­e Montshiwa are said to be settling in India after arriving in August. The 21-year-old Resego Leepo is set to leave soon and she also faces some time on the sidelines. Despite the group’s early struggles in India, the BTTA remains optimistic about progress.

Speaking to Mmegi Sport, the BTTA communicat­ions officer, Tshego Malepa said the associatio­n is working around the clock to find clubs for inactive players.

“All our athletes in India are playing at a semi-profession­al level, we do not have a profession­al league in Botswana so we hope with time they will find a team in a profession­al league in India. In terms of their performanc­es, some have just left recently while others have long left.”

“We have one that remains clubless at the moment but we working with our partners in India to try to help her. I think we would be able to measure their progress when they come to this side for the national team and if they would be able to bring medals.

Most of these athletes went to India to study and some have been offered some time to train with the teams they are with.

So at the moment, we cannot say much on their performanc­es in India but we are hoping that we will see a better side from them when they play internatio­nally,” Malepa.

Former top-ranked junior men player, Sean Dekop will join the contingent in India later this month. However, he will not be under the scholarshi­p programme.

 ?? ?? Indian excursion: Jack left for India last year
Indian excursion: Jack left for India last year

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