From March 16 to April 1, the National Gymnasium on Mandela Avenue will be a hive of activity for table tennis as the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) will host two senior and one junior regional tournament.
Qualification to the Central American Caribbean (CAC) Games will occur from March 16 to 19, followed by the senior Caribbean Championship from March 20 to 26 and the Caribbean Youth and Cadet Championship from March 27 to April 1.
Godfrey Munroe, the GTTA President, recently told News Room Sport, the association is “working to put the best team on the floor” and be a good host for the tournaments.
Munroe further indicated that CAC qualification is within reach if they play well since they are eight spots up for grabs.
Of the 12 teams that qualify for CAC Games, based on current world rankings, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Cuba have secured a spot, while El Salvador, host of the Games, is the other qualified team.
The Caribbean Championship will serve as a qualifying event for the Pan American Games and Pan American Table Tennis Championships.
The junior tournament, which caters to 19 years and under (Youth) and 15 years and under (Cadet), is also a qualifier for the Pan Am Table Tennis Championships.
On the matter of the selection of Team Guyana, Munroe said they will select the strongest team, based on international performances.
Noting the Association is in the transition stage with players, they still want the best squad to qualify for CAC.
According to the former national player, Barbados was the initial host of these events, but in keeping with President Irfaan Ali’s challenge to Sport Associations to host major events, Munroe said they took it upon themselves to step in and host the championships.
The GTTA head said it would help build the internal capacity that allows them to bid for other major tournaments in the future.
