Female participation a concern

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Eighteen-year-old Yvonne Foster has been the island's top female table tennis player for the last six years, winning the national championships every year since she was 12 years old.

Besides showing immense ability, the Meadowbrook High School student's monopoly has also shed light on the glaring lack of competition and quality among females on the local scene.

Foster herself is quick to agree, that there is far too little competition in the female game and believes more can be done to make it more attractive to young girls across the island.

"I think the executive of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) should try to promote the sport more so that we can get more female players in the game, especially at the primary school level and lower," said Foster, during a recent interview with The Gleaner.

The youngster was lost as to why more females were not showing a greater interest in the sport, but stands ready to help the association in any way to raise the appeal of the game.

"I'm personally not sure why we aren't seeing more females, I was attracted simply by my love for the sport, I really can't say that there was any one instance or situation that pulled me to it though," Foster said. "I would be very willing to help and promote the sport in any way possible."

President of the JTTA, Keith Garvey, was quick to point out that the lack of competitiveness in the female category is not a problem that is unique to Jamaica, and that the administration has taken steps to try and increase the number of females playing the sport at a competitive level.

"This is not only a Jamaican problem, it's a worldwide one. Outside of the Asian countries, it's a problem that the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has recognised, and we have to look at some incentives as one of the ideas that can be looked at in terms of attracting more females to the sport," said Garvey.

Problem

He did, however, highlight the work that has been done by his administration to try and stem this problem.

"What we have to do is ensure that the ones that we have in the sport now, we have to provide the incentives; have regular tournaments for them that can keep them in the sport and also focus on the primary and all-age schools," Garvey stated.

"We have been improving the coaching, and table tennis is also now an elective at G.C. Foster College and the University of Technology, so we are expecting that to have a positive effect as well. It's a serious concern for us at the JTTA, but it's also one that has been identified at the highest level."