The maiden Otumfuo Smash table tennis tournament organised by the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) in collaboration with the Stanbic Bank and Opemsuoradio, ended in a grand style with Felix Lartey of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) winning the maleevent.
A 15-year old Juanita Borteye of Tema Senior High School
(SHS) won the female category.
The tournament which attracted over 200 youth across the country was held at the Kumasi Youth Centre (KYC) at Ahinsan Estate, in Kumasi.
MrMawukoAfadzinu, President of the Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) expressed joy over the attendance and commended the participants for the performance they displayed.
MrAfadzinusaid with the requisite resources and support for the young and the upcoming youth, Ghana could perform wonders in the sport.
“What these young players need now is support and exposure. They train hard every day and show a high level of discipline. These are very good signs so if their efforts are complemented with more tournaments, both home and abroad, sky may even not be a limit for them,” he said.
Felix Larteythanked the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for the opportunity to train in the USA and commended the GTTA for the exposure to bring out the best in him.
He described the competition as a good platform for players to participate and showcase their skills, and what they have learnt from their trainers in a competitive mood.
On her part, the female category winner, Borteye, also commended her handlers for the investment they put in her and an opportunity to train in Egypt recently.
That, she said equipped her well for the tournament and hoped to sustain the performance for other competitions.
The winners in both categories received GH¢4,000.00 each as cash prizes
FROM KINGSLEY E.HOPE,
KUMASI