JTTA racing against the clock
National association in urgent need of funding for Pan American tournament
Published:Wednesday | September 1, 2021 | 12:07 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THE JAMAICA Table Tennis Association (JTTA) is in a race against the clock to secure US$33,000 (J$5 million) to send a 15-member contingent to the Pan American Youth Championships that takes place from September 12-19 in the Dominican Republic.
According to JTTA President Andrew Lue, the association learnt about the tournament late last week and they need to confirm their participation by Friday.
“We heard about the tournament late, so we are just reacting to the opportunity at the last minute and we have a very small window because we have to confirm by the third of September. So we are trying to see by that time how much funds we can raise,” Lue explained.
“We are speaking with the SDF (Sports Development Foundation), the JOA (Jamaica Olympic Association) and the Ministry of Sports, our primary sponsors. I am going to follow up with some calls today to see where we are at,” he revealed. “But I don’t think they have had time to react as yet because of the lockdown. But we are talking,” he revealed.
“The Ministry of Sports has reach out to us but we do not know the level of assistance they will offer as yet,” Lue updated yesterday.
The JTTA is looking to send 12 players, two coaches and a manager to the games, which includes four players to each team – Under-19 girls, Under-19 boys and Under-15 boys.
However, if they do not get their target funding, the JTTA will take a targeted approach.
“We will focus on the three individuals, (Tsenaye Lewis, Kelsey Davidson and Rasheed Clarke) who have qualified to play singles, the coach and the manager,” said Lue.
“To send the three athletes it would cost roughly a third or US$11,000 or over J$1.5 million of the US33,000 (J$5 million) required to send the full team. We are still working to send a team and we will continue to try up to the last minute,” the president continued.
The games will also serve as qualifiers for the World Youth Games in December, and although Lue anticipates that the competition will be extremely tough, he said attendance is crucial for the youngsters’ development and the country’s international ranking.
“This opportunity is a critical part of our development, for athletes to get ranking points and for the country to maintain its international status and improve our status as a member of the ITF.
“All ranking points will go to improving our status as a national association, so this tournament would have been a part of our strategic and development plan on our road map for Paris Olympics 2024,” he said.
The full team includes Lewis, Davidson, national women’s champion Solesha Young, Neveah Scott, Joel Butler, Jon Pierre Daley, Christopher Lyn, Jayden Ebanks, Brian Blake, Matthew Fung, Gary Whyte and Clarke.
Davidson, Lewis and Alessio Tulloch qualified to play singles, but Tulloch could not make the trip and was replaced by national Under-19 champion, Clarke.
“I’m expecting them to go there and do their best and represent well. I am hoping we will have good performances, though the competition and standards are very high and other countries from Latin, South America and the Caribbean have been training more than us,” assessed Lue.
“So I am not fooling myself. I know it is going to be very difficult, but we are still very optimistic as it is a step towards development that we should take,” Lyn said.