FOUR of Guyana’s top junior table tennis players have been nominated to attend the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Hopes Programme selection process, which will see them participate in virtual training with the hope of advancing to the important programme.
According to information from the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), the pre-teen players are Jasmine Billingy, Malachi Moore, Ebo McNeil and Samara Sukhai.

“The players will participate in a weekly virtual training session, along with their coaches and ITTF experts Mr Dominique Plattner, ITTF high-performance manager; and ITTF High Performance and Education Director, Mr Massimo Costantini, with a view of possibly being selected as one of the 20 girls and 20 boys who will benefit from the ITTF Hopes programme under the ITTF purview.”

A release from the GTTA added that advancing to the programme offers the rising stars the opportunity to progress to other High-Performance programmes. It will also give the youngsters the chance to interact with some of the world’s top players and coaches, benefit from educational sessions, strength and conditioning, sport science, nutrition and other pertinent areas.
The release also added that the pandemic has resulted in sessions being held virtually. “The ITTF has moved the Hopes programme to virtual engagement which allowed associations to nominate up to two girls and two boys– under 12 years old– along with their coaches, who commit to consistently take part in the programme.”

The first scheduled session is set for this afternoon (June 29) at 15:00hrs. Coaches Linden Johnson, Idi Lewis and Shavin Greene will connect with the training experts for the first scheduled training programme.
“The GTTA is appreciative of the support and patience of the players in the fraternity during these challenging period as we navigate ensuring the best opportunities and outcomes for our hard-working players,” the release noted.