Growing Rwanda’s passion for ping-pong

KIGALI — Didier Nzosaba is one of Rwanda’s best table tennis players and is now using his success to inspire more people to develop a career in the game.

“I have been given the opportunity to train members of the Chinese community in Rwanda who have a passion for the game. Besides playing table tennis, I enjoy coaching,” Nzosaba said.

“I received professional training for coaching in China and I am now a certified International Table Tennis Federation Level 1 coach.”

“I thank the Chinese government for supporting me and other table tennis players in Burundi and Rwanda to develop a career in the game of table tennis. This has laid the foundation for professional table tennis players,” he added.

The 26-year-old started playing table tennis when he was 10 years old in Rwanda’s neighboring country Burundi.

“I developed a passion for table tennis when I saw my school peers participating in a table tennis competition,” Nzosaba told Xinhua in Rwanda’s capital Kigali.

Nzosaba later joined a table tennis academy in Burundi where both the technical coaching and the warmth and support he felt there further fueled his passion for the game.

“I started playing in the junior category when I was 17. A year later, I participated in a national competition and emerged the winner in the junior category. This motivated me to pursue a career in table tennis,” he recalled with a smile.

“I participated in several competitions at the senior level in Bur-* undi where I ranked in the top five and won a number of medals and trophies.”

In 2018, Nzosaba was selected to participate in table tennis training in China representing Burundi, and later relocated to Rwanda to continue his career.

Nzosaba registered with the Rwanda Table Tennis Federation (RTTF) at the end of 2018. Since then, he has played in various tournaments, notably the 2021 Genocide Memorial Tournament, where he emerged victorious in the national category.

“Table tennis is great for health and fitness, keeps you mentally sharp because of the thinking, planning and there is a lot of calculated coordination and energy involved,” said Nzosaba, adding that he finds tournaments “fascinating and really motivating”.

In 2015, he began coaching people who wish to develop a career in table tennis or simply enjoy it as a leisure activity.

“Anyone can play table tennis, but just like any other sport it requires passion and dedication,” he said.

Nzosaba, who is a member of Vision Table Tennis Club in Rwanda, now dedicates much of his time to the sport he loves, with his days consumed with training, competitions or coaching students.

“He is a good coach. He has so far trained me in the basics of playing table tennis such as serving the ball,” said Huang Wanqing, one of Nzosaba’s trainees. “I have begun learning the game’s tactics.”