Table tennis to integrate para-sports as coaches are trained |17 September 2015

The Seychelles Table Tennis Federation will soon make history by becoming the first sport federation in Seychelles to fully integrate para-sports into its programme.

This will be possible through an eight-day course that is currently taking place at the National Swimming Pool training room at Roche Caïman, which got underway on Tuesday morning.

The course is being attended by youth workers, National Council for the Disabled (NCFD) representatives, teachers from the School of the Exceptional Child as well as workers from the rehab facilities on Mahé.

During the opening ceremony, the course lecturer, former president of the International Para-Table Tennis Federation, Swedish-born Christian Lillieroos said he wants the coaches to show that table tennis is a sport that everyone can play and through hard work athletes can also earn many opportunities.

“We are here for two reasons and that is to have the coaches qualify for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) level 1 coaching certificate and secondly to have a three-day training camp,” said Mr Lillieroos.

He added that the main focus of the course and camp is to get the coaches to integrate para-table tennis within the local federation.

Mr Lillieroos said he believes Seychelles can go on to do great things in table tennis and para-table tennis as we are lucky to be on a continent that is still developing the sport and therefore still have time to be among the best in Africa if all the athletes work to their best.

As for local table-tennis federation chairman Francis Remie, he stated that he is proud his federation will be the first to cater for para-athletes and said those taking part are lucky to have someone of Mr Lillieroos’ credentials leading them as he has a lot of experience and knowledge to share.

The course was officially launched by the secretary general of the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) Alain Alcindor, who said table tennis is moving in the right direction and that the incorporation of para-athletes to the federation will further help the Paralympic and Special Olympic athletes of Seychelles.

S. N.