Guyana to participate in Pan Am Tennis C/ships in Peru

The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) have named their team for participation in the 2021 Senior Pan American Table Tennis Championships, scheduled for November 13th to 19th in Lima, Peru.

The GTTA recently received formal confirmation from the ITTF Americas that Guyana’s men’s team have gained qualification to the Pan American Table Tennis Championships (the men’s team were initially listed as the first reserve team). The women’s team were selected to participate in the championships based on their world ranking position.
Qualification of both teams is a significant achievement for table tennis in Guyana, since it positions Guyana among the top teams in the region. The men’s team’s qualification was based on current national champion Christopher Franklin, Caribbean men’s bronze medalist Shemar Britton, Joel Alleyne and Nigel Anthony.

Bryan’s performance and results in previous team events’ championships established their world ranking position.
Miguel Wong was selected and qualified to participate in the singles and doubles events of the competition through his singles’ ranking. This position was gained based on participation points in the Portugal Open and German Open during the pandemic. He will play the individual events and doubles.

Based on the new ITTF world ranking system, which is geared towards encouraging participation in ITTF events, players are now awarded participation points for playing ITTF-ranked competitions, whereas the old system required winning and advancement in draws of a competition for players to receive world ranking points.
The Men’s team acquired their qualification and ranking points based on the old system.
In a release, the GTTA explained, “With the restart of competitions occurring globally in the sport, and world ranking becoming a major factor in determining qualification for key events, given the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become critical that our association is able to have our players participate in key competitions and training camps as a means of having our players continue to gain the requisite exposure and preparation, in view of positioning them to gain world ranking points so as to maximise our chances of qualification and success at key international competitions and games, while improving our trajectory at key and major international competitions. This new position has placed a review on the selection engagement of national team members participation.”
Further, the Pan American Championships will be used to select the teams for the World Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu, China during March-April 2022, and the teams for the Pan American Cup among other key competitions.
“It has therefore become absolutely critical and imperative that we have our athletes attend these championships in order to continue positioning the progression of our athletes and the sport.
“This tourney, while a qualifier for the events, as mentioned before, is more of a rebuilding competition to establish the team’s position in international tennis, while serving as great exposure, evaluation, maintaining our trajectory, and as a building block for more long-term strategic positioning of the sport,” The Association shared.
Commenting on the new format, GTTA President Godfrey Munroe shared: “With the ITTF, WTT launching its newest tier of the pyramidal structure of WTT events with the Feeder contender and continental World Tour events, this establishes a clear journey from Day 1 to World Number 1. The WTT Feeder Series is an important part of the pyramid of new events, as a tier designed for elevating grassroots talent to global stars.
“This now allows the ITTF affiliate Associations/ Federations to structure their participation of players in WTT events, and would remove the ambiguity and confusion resonating with national teams when players outside of the top tier players in national teams participate in WTT events.
“The most elite young players can graduate directly from the WTT Youth Series to the WTT Contender Series. However, many young players will finish their youth journey requiring a little more time to develop and hone their skills before they qualify for this level. The WTT Feeder Series is designed to ensure that young players showing high potential but still maturing can still continue on their international table tennis journey, while also providing a “safety net” for those players formerly of the upper echelons who fall out of form, are returning from career breaks, or recovering from injury. It also provides an additional and valuable opportunity for Member Associations to host events and assist the transition of their players to elite levels.”
The concentration on the men’s team was taken given availability of senior women and based on some strategic positions of the association at this juncture.
Competition will start with men’s singles, men’s and women’s and mixed doubles,
followed by the team events’ doubles. Draws were done on 12th November at 7pm. The team, led by National Champion and Captain Christopher Franklin, departed on 12th November.
Shemar Britton, just off of his great showing in the Ecuador ITTF contender series, will be eager to test his mettle against the region’s best. He will join the team from his base in the USA.
Miguel Wong, currently in Germany, will be using this tourney as part of his preparation for the Junior Pan American Games. He will play singles and doubles with Joel Alleyne, and will stay on for an additional 7 days before going to Cali, Colombia.
However, the women’s team, who qualified for the championships based on their world ranking, will not be participating in the competition, due to some reasons beyond their control.
“We wish to thank the Director of Sport, Mr. Steve Ninvalle, for his and the National Sports Commission’s (NSC’s) support, and (that of) the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) in assisting the GTTA’s effort in getting team to Lima; more directly, the players for their sacrifice and commitment.