Following the recent announcement that Ocean Belrose and Hongbo Liang have been appointed as Oceania Development Officers, a series of staff induction and training sessions were held at Auckland Table Tennis Association in New Zealand from 24-27 February.
Leading the program was ITTF Sports Development Director, Mikael Andersson, together with ITTF-Oceania CEO, Scott Houston. In addition to Belrose and Liang, ITTF-Oceania Smash Down Barriers Program Manager, Cherry Harvey, was also in attendance.
Across four days multiple presentations were made and collaborative interactions were a focus. Areas covered included overviewing the 2025-2028 ITTF-Oceania Strategic Plan, presenting the 2025 ITTF-Oceania budget including the Oceania Development Program budget, setting the 2025 goals and KPIs for the Oceania Development Program, plus overviewing the Smash Down Barriers Program. Another key focus was equipping the Oceania Development Officers with the skills to provide Member Associations with impactful in-country visits. Level 1 Coaching Course Conductor training was provided and sessions to develop school visit exercises and training camp exercises were also held.
Following completion of the program Houston commented, “With a new staff team in place, these four days served to establish a positive team culture and get the team dynamics right from the beginning. This is crucial given we’re implementing a new direction with the re-introduction of the Oceania Development Program, which is a key strategic priority in 2025 and beyond. We’re now ready to provide more services where they’re needed to our 24 Member Associations.
“Special thanks to Mikael Andersson for making the trip to New Zealand, the ITTF-Oceania team enjoyed learning from him and it was also helpful to reinforce that ITTF-Oceania’s new approach will make a tangible difference across the region.”
The first in-country visits for the Oceania Development Program will be to Samoa and Cook Islands in March, with others close to being confirmed thereafter. ITTF-Oceania will continue to work with all Member Associations to look for ways to provide support where it’s needed.