GTTA steps up African Games preparations

The Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) has commenced a special justify-your-inclusion to select players for the 12th Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco, next month as they step up their preparations.

The first stage of the three-stage exercise, commenced on July 3 and ended on July 4, with the second fixed for July 10, and expected to end on July 12.

According to the GTTA, the final phase of the exercise would commence from tomorrow and end on July 18.

In all, 32 males and 18 females are expected to participate in the exercise at the D.G Hathiramani Sports Hall of the Accra Sports Stadium.

The national U-21 champion, Emmanuel Ofori was one of the junior players who qualified from the group stages after the first two days of justifiers.

He dispatched Ernest Mawutor Quarcoo 3-1 in a match which was characterised by long rallies from both players.

At the female side of the draw was Matilda Fodu, who also took part in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World and African Juniors Championships. A heavy underdog, who found herself in a group filled with senior players.

It’s a round robin stage, which includes the top 16 male and top nine female players in the country.

The current male national team players who represented Ghana in the Common Wealth Games, made up of Bernad Joe-Sam, Derek Abrefa, Felix Lartey and Emmanuel Asante and the female national team players made up of Celia Baah Danso and Cynthia Kwabi have all qualified out of the group stage. –GNA