National Table Tennis player, Miguel Wong, has qualified for the Junior Pan American Games to be held in Cali, Colombia, between September 9-19, 2021.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) revealed the prospectus for the event and Wong was listed as a Caribbean representative for the Men’s Under-21 Singles.
Wong’s qualification came as a result of his World Ranking; he is currently ranked 706 with 168 rating points. Due to the pandemic, no qualification event would be held in Costa Rica in June.
Wong expressed his desire to attend and do well at the Games.
“Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to compete again on the international scene in Cali after roughly a year off from competition. We put in a lot of work behind the scenes and will continue to put in work towards the Games in September, whether locally or aboard.”
President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Godfrey Munroe, also confirmed Wong’s qualification and said the Association is hoping to get one other player to attend the event.
The GTTA had announced its intention to prepare a team, but Munroe said there was a likelihood that rating points would determine who attends.
“We are still exploring the possibility of having another player [attend the Games]. By May 18 we will be able to make that determination if she [Thuria Thomas] will be given a spot, since she has a World Ranking of 712 in the Under-21 category.”
Munroe added, “Our other players don’t have World Ranking because this championship is using the U-18, U-21 and senior world rankings to be the basis for selecting the players.”
Munroe added that the GTTA will support Wong to prepare for the event and will reach out to the Olympic Committee to ensure he attends.
The Games is a forthcoming international multi-sport event for athletes aged 18 to 21 in the Americas, organised by Panam Sports.
