PREPARATIONS are at an advanced stage to start revamping a hall located in Khubetsoana with the aim of turning it into a state-of-the-art facility that will be used to among others host International Table Tennis Federations (ITTF) events.
sports
Nov. 4, 2020
TEBOHO JAFETA
2 min read
Local table tennis body to gain ultra-modern property
Team Lesotho at the 2019 AUSC table tennis tourney
The hall, which originally belongs to the Examinations Council of Lesotho (ECOL) will be refurbished with funds provided by ITTF after Lesotho successfully hosted the debut African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Table Tennis Championship in 2019.
According to the Lesotho Table Tennis Association (LeTTA) publicist Thato Mathibeli, the plan is to finalise the renovations before 2023.
“The proposal is at its final stage and we are about to send it to ITTF in order to release the funds for the project to commence. We are currently awaiting the official acknowledgement from the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC) as the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) has already acknowledged our MOU,” she said.
As part of the package to host the AUSC Regional 5 Table Tennis Championship last year, Lesotho received full playing equipment including 12 table tennis playing tables, balls and score cards from the region.
Mathibeli said the ITTF has instructed member states of Region 5 to identify representatives to undergo training in professional table tennis coaching, umpiring, refereeing and record keeping.
LeTTA President Chabeli Mohatlane is the Secretary General of the AUSC Region 5.
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“AUSC Region 5 plans to improve the standard of the sport through encouraging countries to engage in several regional games. The international exposure will definitely benefit our players and ensure that they reach the desire level of play,” Mathibeli said.
Durban in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa has been awarded the hosting rights for the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships after a successful bidding during the ITTF virtual Annual General Meeting held in September.
Durban will become the first SA city to host the event after it enjoyed a commanding 90 - 39 votes victory over rivals Germany.
The 2023 World Table Tennis Championships will also be the second to be held in Africa after Egypt hosted the first in March 1939.
The ITTF's flagship event in 2023 is the first major global sports competition to be awarded to Durban since the city was stripped of the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games after failing to provide the required financial guarantees.
“Lesotho voted with its neighbor South Africa. We are now ready to make a selection and prepare the squad to play in the Championships qualifiers as soon as local indoor sports have been the given green light to resume,” Mathibeli also said.
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