Africa: KTTA Sets the Ball Rolling for the All Africa Games Selection

Nairobi Star (Nairobi)

30 March 2011

The race to secure team tickets for the national table tennis team kicks off this Friday with the first of seven points up for grabs at Parklands Open. According to Kenya Table Tennis Association (KTTA) players to the September All Africa Games will be selected on the basis of points accumulated.

Last year, the point system was used to select the national team to the Commonwealth Games in India and this time round, players are all focused on the All Africa Games and will be keen to earn maximum points at the Parklands Open, which ends on Sunday. “The national team this time round will be a mixture of senior and junior players, who we are introducing into the team,” John Gicaci, the table tennis team manager of the All Africa Games said.

Just like the senior players, he said the juniors will also have to earn points in a bid to make the cut. Gicaci said the juniors will also have to undergo regular monthly training programs in order to bring them to international standards.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) will use the All Africa Games as the Olympic Games qualifiers for Africa. Speaking separately, association’s secretary general, Andrew Mudibo said they will ensure the players get the best additional training locally.

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