After almost seven years without a league, table tennis players are eagerly looking forward to an action packed season as the league springs back to life tomorrow.
The league will run from February until May 2022 with Botswana Table Tennis Association (BTTA) having committed P36 000 from Phoenix Assurance sponsorship.
However, the league is only open for top 8 ranked players from both men and ladies sections.
The league which commences tomorrow (Thursday) will be played on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at Botswana National Youth Centre (BNYC) Halls.
According to BTTA president, Kudzanani Motswagole, the main purpose of the league is to prepare the team for Durban 2023 World Championship qualifiers. “We have P120 000 sponsorship for prize monies from Phoenix for a period of 8 months, so we took money for a three months period and decided to start the league with. It’s not a separate sponsorship. We scrapped off three category 1 tournaments for us to start the league, but still we replaced those tourneys with category 2 competitions such that clubs can host tournaments,” he said.
Motswagole further said the league will be used to evaluate local umpires who are to be enrolled for international umpire’s course in May
There however are prizes at stake for the players with the eventual champions set to pocket P5000 while runners up and third placed players will get P3000 and P1500 respectively.
With the league dawn set for tomorrow evening, excitement is already building up with entertaining encounters expected from the likes of Thobo Matlhatsi, Tshenolo Mooketsi, Bakang Maloka and Boago Malobela in the men’s category.
In an interview Matlhatsi said he was elated at the return of the league. “I think I’m more than ready because I long started training after the festive season. I’m a player who enjoys tough competition so my aim is to lift this league title but I’m also expecting tough competition. It’s a good initiative that the association managed to come up with,” said Matlhatsi who won the last league championship in2015.
In the ladies league, the likes of Tshepiso Rebatenne, Olorato Ramagapu, Salome Matlhatsi and Game Kebodiwang are some of the big names to look forward to.
For her part, Tsholofelo Gaokgalemelwe said she was excited as it will be her maiden appearance in the league.
“Since I have been training, I’m looking forward to facing my opponents, though I will be facing most of Botswana’s finest, I’m very confident that I will bag the prize,” she said.
The last time the league was staged was in 2015 under the auspices of Celiat Construction.
