Caribbean Senior Table Tennis Championships 2023: LEWIS’S CAUSE UNDERSTANDABLE -GTTA President Godfrey Munroe
GTTA President Godfrey Munroe
Instead of occupying his usual place on the sidelines to egg his players on, National Table Tennis Coach Idi Lewis was often spotted in the stands of the National Gymnasium, taking in the proceedings from afar, during the recently concluded Caribbean Senior Table Tennis Championships.
Lewis’s actions were considered a silent protest, according to Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) President Godfrey Munroe, in the interest of better treatment for coaches.
When probed about the issue, Munroe, who had to step in and do the coaching himself, spoke on the validity of Lewis’s actions and the effect they may have had on the players competing.
GTTA President Godfrey Munroe had to step in to coach the players over the past two weeks
“Centrally, this issue that we’ve got, Idi has been calling a long time for support; because, you know, he’s a coach and he needs to be paid, and I think we got to look at paying coaches full time in Guyana’s context. He’s taken a stand that, you know, he can’t continue to just volunteer or receive a stipend, and that is understandable,” Munroe told this publication.
With an eye on resolution, the GTTA boss added, “I might have some different views about the timing now, but realistically, I think it’s something that we have to look at across the board – for all our coaches who are performing and working with our athletes. In addition to how we provide support for our athletes, (these issues) also are critical.”
Agreeing that Guyana might have been able to get better results if Lewis was by the players’ side, Shemar Britton, who has been under Lewis’s wings for a number of years, said the following.
“…without a doubt! I mean, for me personally, I’ve been working with Idi since I started playing table tennis seriously, which is over 10 years now. We did have Godfrey Munroe, who stepped in in place of Idi, and, you know, Godfrey was able to do a good job with the team and lead the team. But obviously, if you’re missing your coach, your performances will suffer a little bit.”
It is unclear whether Lewis and the GTTA have been able to come to a consensus as yet.
