Ghana Table Tennis Association On The Right Path To Reclaiming Past Glory 

In the 1950s through to the 1980s, at the mention of ‘’table tennis in Africa’’ and the world over, the name Ghana would resonate so loudly. 

At the first ever African table tennis championships in Alexandria, in Egypt in 1962, Ghana’s Emmanuel A Quaye won gold. Emmanuel A Quaye went on to win another gold in 1968 in Lagos, Nigeria.

The legend, Ethel Jacks won the African singles championships three consecutive times and earned herself the title of Queen of Africa. She won her first title in Accra on home soil in 1964, then continued her claim to fame with another win in Lagos, Nigeria in 1968. The icing on the cake came in 1974 in Alexandria in Egypt where she won her third and final singles championships.

 

Six years later, Esther Lamptey also won gold at the African Championships in 1980 in Dakar Senegal. That was the last time any female player from Ghana won gold at any championships in Africa.

Luckily, at the world junior and cadet championships staged in Ghana in 2019, Ghana excelled with Ibrahim Gado Nuhu winning gold.

The Ghana Table Tennis Association, with the future in mind, has given opportunity to cadets to join the national team on national and international assignments.

The likes of Ibrahim Gado Nuhu, Francis Antwi, Godwin Alabi, James Marfo, Joanita Borteye, Blessing Labanti, Emmanuella Yaa Kyere and many more, have had a taste of the national team experience to boost their morale and build their confidence. Some have also benefitted from academic scholarships.

There is also an improvement in technical aspect of the game with ITTF certified coaches in all 16 regions of Ghana.

The association plans to organise another coaching course in the coming months and also participate in ITTF approved regional, continental and international tournaments.

Under the leadership of Mawuko Afadzinu, the Association is on the right path to reclaiming its past glory.

Our cadet duo of Juanita Borteye and Blessing Labanti lead the race to fulfiling the transformation with their participation in the African Youth Training Camp in Egypt under the auspices of the International Table Tennis Federation, African Table Tennis Federation, Chinese Table Tennis Association, Egyptian Table Tennis Association and the Ghana Table Tennis Association.

Next on the list is the Chengdu Global Youth Camp in China in December 2023

Story By: Nathaniel Kwesi Somuah, GTTA