It was announced last week that 14-year-old Jonathan Van Lange will join Miguel Wong as Guyana’s representatives in the discipline of Table Tennis at the inaugural Junior Pan American Games, set to be held from November 25 to December 5 in Cali, Colombia.
“At the Executive level of the Olympic Association, that was discussed and a proposal is to be made for Jonathan,” Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) President, Godfrey Munroe expressed at a recent press briefing.
Munroe said the association is exploring the option to have Van Lange potentially join Wong, who is in Germany on a high-performance programme at the Topspin Tischtennis Centre.
The GTTA head had indicated that they opted to send Wong to Germany given the cost-effective nature as opposed to the programme in the United States of America.
He further highlighted that while Wong will have to leave the camp for the Senior Pan American Championship, which runs from November 13 to 19 in Lima, Peru, Van Lange can remain in Germany until a later date.
The Junior Pan Am Games start November 25, but Table Tennis players are only allowed to enter the camp from November 27 with the discipline going into competition mode from November 30.
“There is a plan to intensify his preparation and provide some match practice, even if it is a two to three weeks engagement,” Munroe expressed.
Van Lange is currently engaged in daily sessions with National Coach Idi Lewis at the Malteenoes Sports Club.
The Junior Pan Am Games is a forthcoming international multi-sport event for athletes aged in the Americas and the objective is to promote new generations of athletes, as well as make new talents visible and support the development of sport in the junior categories through their participation in high-profile events.
