THE Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is in its final stages of preparation for their ‘Restart Competition’ which is scheduled to begin before the dreaded 2020 year ends.

Speaking briefly with president of the GTTA, Godfrey Munroe, he said the association still has a few logistical aspects to complete before the event serves off at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC).

“Given that you want to give the players the amount of time to be aware of when we are setting it (the tournament), so we contacted them and the tournament will be held before the year is out. Its critical to us to ensure this. We want to ensure we do it in a safe manner, not just to have an event but to resume in a safer context,” he disclosed.

The GTTA will run this tournament according to the guidelines published by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). These Guidelines contain mandatory requirements for all stakeholders organizing, participating, or attending an ITTF sanctioned event.

ITTF guidelines do not allow more than eight persons in the venue at once which mean players will play at scheduled times. It also states that balls will be marked so no two players will ever handle the same ball. Added to that, area sanitation, along with face masks and regular temperature readings, will also help mitigate the spread of the virus.

Initially, the tournament was scheduled to begin on November 27, but awaiting a response caused the association not to finalise a date.

According to Munroe, after meeting with the players this week, a definitive date will be set. However, the GTTA plans to commence the event in the coming week which will see the competition roll into the New Year.

Operating under the ITTF guidelines in a smaller venue than the traditional Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH), the association will be forced to have additional days for the tournament which features four-categories.

Even though training has resumed for the GTTA, the tournament is expected to be an intriguing one since players have not been engaged in full competition in almost nine months.