Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Lesotho Table Tennis Association (LeTTA) has been tasked with hosting the 2019 Region 5 Table Tennis Championship in preparation for the 2020 AUSC Region 5 Youth Games to be held in Lesotho next December.
The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission yesterday. Table Tennis is a sport that has been played in Lesotho for over 20 years and has grown steadily since then.
LeTTA members have competed at National Championships in various parts of South Africa and have also taken part in the Botswana Table Tennis Championships and Senior Table Tennis Championships in Senegal and Mauritius in recent years.
LeTTA will be hosting the Region 5 tournament for the first time in Lesotho with the help of the African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 and other local sporting mother bodies regulating table tennis.
Organisers expect a number of players, coaches, supporters, tourists and table tennis lovers to grace the Mountain Kingdom for the games. LeTTA treasurer Malatola Phothane said the association is going to receive equipment from the Region 5 committee for the games.
The equipment, which includes 12 tables and balls, is a gift to the association and it will be able to use it after the championships. “The Region 5 (committee) is developing juvenile talent in Lesotho where they will be grooming every one regardless of their age.
This tournament is also recognised as the qualifying tournament for massive international tournaments that include the Tokyo Championship as well as the Top 6 Africa Qualifier and we expect more Basotho to do their best,” Phothane said.
The squad that will represent Lesotho at the championship has been picked from league tournaments that were held earlier this year. The team has started training at Setsoto Stadium.
LeTTA president Chabeli Mohatlane explained that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the main body sponsoring this tournament. “ITTF will be sponsoring the games from the beginning to the end and the prizes of the best contestants will also be offered by them,” he said.
“The equipment that the Region 5 has proposed to us is world class equipment. They will also renovate the sporting facilities at Lehakoe Club. Everyone will be given a chance to go watch as entry will free,” Mohatlane said.
The AUSC Region 5 is made up of 10 member states, namely: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
