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Disconcert of senior table tennis players
Guyana's senior men's table tennis team last played together last October at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, India.
By Edison Jefford
All that glitters is certainly not gold! All may seem well on the surface of Guyana’s preparations to host the Caribbean Table Tennis Championships next month, but investigations have led me to believe that there is some amount of disconcert among senior players.
While every attempt is being made, institutionally, to host a truly memorable Championship, the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) could be overlooking the need for adequate preparation of its senior players. A development that should rightly create disconcerts.
For the record, Guyana will host the Caribbean Senior Championships during August 13-20 and pristine institutional preparations are in place, including the setting up of a fully operational and staffed Secretariat that deals with registration and other logistics.
However, while these facets of hosting the event are being put in place, little attention is given to one of the most important components, which is the preparation of Guyana’s senior male players, especially. It is an oversight that could undermine institutional success.
I learnt that some of Guyana’s most senior male players have not played competitive table tennis in some time. That was a negative revelation for a country that will host the event. Those players requested anonymity, which will prevent me from using direct quotes.
The last time Guyana’s senior male and female teams played competitive tennis that could mirror anything near preparation for such a major assignment as the Caribbean Championships was last October in New Delhi, India at the Commonwealth Games.
The teams have not been internationally exposed since, which one would think should be a major priority for the GTTA to help players deal with the different styles of the region. The importance of such exposure became even more imminent with the revelation that Guyana is likely to attract the participation of a few Latin American forces in the sport.
I want to make this comparison to emphasise the seriousness of which another country, which is usually less competitive than Guyana in the sport, has approached the Caribbean Championships, and the need to sufficiently prepare its participating male team.
Guyana usually beats St. Lucia three-zip in table tennis, but that could change this year because a lot of thought went into St. Lucia’s approach to the Caribbean Championships. St. Lucia and the 2011 host, Guyana, are diametrically opposed in terms of competitiveness with Guyana being the superior side. Yet, St. Lucia has lined up four major tours before coming to Guyana.
St. Lucia was exposed to the French Caribbean Championships in French Guiana; they played at the World Championships in Holland. The team will also play at the Pan American Latin Games in Mexico and an OECS competition in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Yes there is always the argument of the lack of funding to expose national teams, but the GTTA will struggle to convince us that they lacked funding owed to the manner in which big bucks are dolled out to the leading performers in provincial calendar tournaments. And when I talk here of the GTTA, I am speaking of the new administration, under Henry Greene, who is Commissioner of Police.
So the argument that St. Lucia got its funding through its Olympic Association and Guyana was not at liberty to go a similar route will not hold water because the GTTA has proven its strength with mobilising the corporate community to generate funding.
The question is then, what else has led to the undermining of Guyana’s player-preparation for the Caribbean Championships that is touted to be huge. All the perfect institutional preparation could mean nothing with an uninspiring performance from Team Guyana. When the tide rises, both big and small boats must be allowed to rise. This is a hand-in-glove situation.
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