By Michael Uugwanga
TABLE tennis development officer Theo Beukes says the sport has ambitions of expanding its reach to all parts of the country, but a lack of funding and suitable venues remains a major obstacle to achieving that goal.
According to Beukes, the two Kavango regions, Zambezi and parts of southern Namibia have yet to experience significant development in table tennis.
The Namibia Table Tennis Association, through its development programme, is working to take the sport to these areas, but its progress depends largely on the financial resources available.
Beukes made the remarks in an interview with Confidente following the successful hosting of the regular Arysteq Simonis Schools Tournament at Havana High School in Katutura, Windhoek.
The tournament brought together some of the country’s emerging young talent in the under-15, under-17 and under-19 categories.
The decision to host the tournament in Havana was aimed at bringing table tennis closer to communities that have traditionally had limited opportunities to host major tournaments.
The Arysteq Simonis Schools Tournament attracted 88 entries, reflecting the continued growth of the sport among young players. Of the participants, 34, or 39 percent, were girls, while 54, or 61 percent, were boys.
“A national development programme has been developed to grow the sport into the regions. The absence of adequate funding for table tennis equipment is the biggest challenge, as well as the availability of venues since it is an indoor sport,” Beukes said.
He added that schools can also be reluctant to introduce new sporting codes because they often prefer sports that are easier and less expensive to establish.
“The reality is that schools are reluctant to take up a new sport and would continue with easier sports to start up. The event in Havana was a resounding success, with players from Rehoboth making the trip and staying until the end,” he said.
“For me, the standout moment was seeing new faces and then seeing how players who started this year have already improved.”
Although table tennis continues to play second fiddle to many of the country’s more established sporting codes, Beukes believes its partnership with the Namibia Sports School Union (NSSU) has helped accelerate its growth by introducing the sport at school level.
“Ten years ago, table tennis was limited to a handful of players and informal spaces. Four years ago, the average number of juniors per tournament was around 37. This year, it exceeds 80 players, with the tournament in Havana having 88 entries,” he said.
Beukes believes the future growth of table tennis will depend heavily on schools embracing the sport as an official sporting code.
“There is an event slated for October in Windhoek, depending on the availability of a venue, as venues come at a high cost,” he said.
The shortage of affordable venues is another challenge facing the sport, with schools often competing with private facilities that charge higher fees.
“All venues come at a high cost, with schools competing with private venues in terms of pricing,” Beukes said.
Despite these challenges, he described table tennis as one of the fastest-growing sporting codes in Namibia, particularly at junior level.
Looking ahead, Beukes said the association hopes to see table tennis firmly established throughout the country.
“In ten years to come, it is envisioned as a fully recognised national sport with accredited Category A status, clubs established across all regions and youth actively participating as an alternative to mainstream sports,” he said.
