For all table tennis and sports enthusiasts, the April 6 was a big day! The day marked World Table Tennis Day (WTTD), but it’s also the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. WTTD 2022 focused on using table tennis for peace-making and conflict resolution.
This year on WTTD, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Table Tennis Federation hosted a special event; the opening of the China Table Tennis College Training Centre in PNG, in partnership with the Butuka Academy.
The PNG Table Tennis Federation already had a table tennis training centre, but it was a limited space, whereas the current one offers more opportunities and is a 900 square-metre, multi-purpose stadium. The new training centre was donated by the Chinese Government.
ITTF-Oceania spoke to George Shao, President of PNG Table Tennis Federation and the initiator of the development this training centre. He said that in 2018, the China Table Tennis College Training Centre was established. Former Women’s Singles world champion – Zhang Yining of China – was invited to open the centre, and was also witnessed by Chinese President, Xi Jinping, and PNG Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill. At that time the event was held at the Butuka Academy.
The funding and sponsorship for the training centre comes from the business community and Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee (PNGOC), particularly when it comes to attending continental games. The great thing is that the Butuka Academy provides a free venue for the PNG Table Tennis Federation to train at.
If you live in Port Moresby, come along for a game of table tennis at the new training centre at Butuka Academy.
Here is their schedule:
- Tuesday and Thursday afternoon: team training
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon: school students training, where coaches will be giving table tennis support.
- Saturday afternoon: team training.
Thank you George Shao for making this happen! ITTF-Oceania is looking forward to seeing many upcoming events happen at the Butuka Academy.
Article adapted from ITTF-Oceania website.