TT President Wijetunge determined to improve the standard

By Leslie FERNANDO

TABLE TENNIS: The standard of table tennis in Sri Lanka is on the upward trend with the junior paddlers showing tremendous skills to reach the top - this is view of Rajeev Wijetunge, the President of the Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) in an interview with the Sunday Observer.

The present junior players can come to those levels set by their predecessors in the international circuit from 1966 to 1975 when Lankans defeated Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bhamas, Yeman, Iraq, Laos, Nepal, Burma and Cambodia.

The TTASL is 'proud' of our junior players to name a few - Shantha Ganegoda, Buddhika Walagampola, Ishari Maduranga who excelled at the Junior South Asian Games held in Pakistan in July and at the Junior Commonwealth Games held in Pune, India last month. All together Sri Lanka won 13 medals 7 silver and 6 bronze in Pakistan. In Pune, Buddhika entered the men's singles quarter-finals defeating the Singapore ranked number one Lim Chin 3-2. Ultimately he lost to the Gold Medallist from Russia. This is the first time Sri Lankan paddler reached the quarter-finals at an international level encounter.

In fact at the recently concluded 62nd National Table Tennis Championships, two junior players - Buddhika and Ishari won the men's and singles titles respectively.

Rajeev Wijetunga, former Royal cricketer, table tennis player and athlete, is employed at Ceylinco Shriam. He has won 24 medals for Sri Lanka in athletics and table tennis at the World Masters TT Tournament and Veteran Athletic Championships. Wijetunge said that there are young and potential players involved in table tennis at present and the association will join hands with the Ministry of Education and the Sports Ministry to improve the game and bring it to greater heights.

"We will support the players in every aspect with the assistance of the Sports Ministry and National Olympic Council and get a foreign coach, " said Wijetunge. A former ace player Jagath Rajapkse, a professional coach presently in France who coached our players at the last South Asian Games (Sri Lanka finished runner-up in the men's and women's team championships) if he is willing to coach the players will be welcomed. Chathura Dushan, the present junior national coach who is doing good job will retain his position.

This year TTASL completed 6 tournaments and hope to have more tournaments next years.

Rajeev said that the future of table tennis like other sports, belongs to the school. The schools are the breeding ground for the national table tennis players of the future.

The TTASL will draw up a comprehensive program to further improve the standard of table tennis, by way of creating interest amongst the players in the schools in each province. The TTASL will conduct district school competitions from age 12 to 17. A permanent junior pool will also be formed to serve as a nursery with practice sessions during the weekends under watchful eyes of trained coaches.

When the new programmes are implemented, the association will have thousand of table tennis players playing the game. The juniors who are trying to reach the top will be able to reach international standard before long said Wijetunge.

The table tennis chief said that they are handicapped without a proper office, of their own, tables, venue for playing the Race Course TT hall is now owned by the Colombo Municipal Council. "I am certain the Sports Ministry who has helped us largely by way of providing finances for both the trips to Pakistan and India, will come forward to help us", added Wijetunge.