THE Zimbabwe Table Tennis Union (ZTTU) scored a landmark achievement for the sport in the country after successfully hosting the Southern Africa Regional Table Tennis Championships at Glen City over the weekend.
This was the nation's first tournament of this magnitude in 31 years and ran in the Mashonaland East region from July 10-12 drawing support from the government, private sector and individuals alike.
The event brought together the region's best players and officials, earning glowing feedback from the International Table Tennis Federation and cementing Zimbabwe's credentials as a serious host on the continental sporting calendar.
ZTTU president Noah Ferenando hailed the tournament as a proud moment for the union and the country.
"We are grateful as Zimbabwe that we have hosted a unique tournament and we are proud. The appraisers from the International Table Tennis Federation said these games were unique," Ferenando told NewsDay Sport at the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
"I want to extend my gratitude to our local organising committee, the Sports and Recreation Commission, the Government of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Sport for all their support in making sure these games were a success."
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Beyond the successful hosting, Ferenando pointed to a genuine on-court transformation, crediting the appointment of high performance coach Liping Wang three months ago for accelerating the team's progress.
"If you look at the gradual progress we have been making, our previous results were poor, but now our performances have improved," he said.
"Given more time with the team, I am confident we will soon have a podium finish. These results reflect the hard work our coaches have put in and we are on a positive trajectory."
He said the union remains committed to closing the gap with regional heavyweights like South Africa by investing in the same areas that have driven their success.
"South Africa have professionalised table tennis. Their athletes play the sport professionally, while we are still largely at a recreational stage. They have invested heavily in junior development and that is the model we are trying to follow," Ferenando said.
He was equally candid about the road ahead, noting that hosting a championships of this scale came at a real cost, one the union is hoping future partners will help share.
"The budget for hosting these championships was a steepy one and raising the required money was a challenge," added Ferenando.
Without adequate resources it becomes difficult to compete with countries such as South Africa, Angola and Botswana, who continue to invest heavily in their athletes."
Encouragingly, Ferenando said the players themselves showed a new level of ambition throughout the tournament.
"In previous years our players came to participate. This time they came to compete. They challenged their opponents and showed real improvement," he said.
We will evaluate our performance and continue building because we have another team travelling to India in the next two weeks."
The championships also drew warm praise from South African men's singles champion Luke Abrahams, who successfully defended his title after his team recovered from 2-0 down to defeat Angola in the final.
"I think it was a really nice event overall. The organisation was good, the venue was good, the food was good and the people were awesome," Abrahams said.
"As players we really appreciate the effort that went into making this event possible. Thanks to the Zimbabwe Table Tennis Union for putting this together."
Abrahams, who has family ties to Zimbabwe through his father-in-law, said he hopes to return to the country again in future, a further sign of the goodwill generated by the tournament.
Ferenando said the successful hosting of the championships lays the foundation for long-term partnerships and continued investment as it looks to build on this momentum, with a squad already preparing to compete in India in the coming weeks.