UG’s Table Tennis Tournament deemed building block to foster academics and Sport – Chairman Fransico
Chairman of the Games Committee of the University of Guyana (UG) Students’ Society, Christopher Francisco has stated that the Sports Unit’s 2024 Table Tennis Tournament was a success and has had a positive influence on the relationship between sports and academics.
The men’s singles final saw Patrick Triumph claiming victory in two straight sets (11-5, 11-9) against a determined Ramesh Rajbidar, earning him the title of Men’s Singles Champion 2024 while the women’s singles round-robin section was equally exciting, with Allimah Eastman winning all her matches to secure the title.
Giving an exclusive comment to Guyana Times, Games Committee Chairman Francisco highlighted the participation of students in the tournament.
“Well, personally, getting the large turnout was a plus, because most students don’t usually get engaged in sporting activities, but probably, because it was not an outdoor activity, and it was mostly an indoor activity, people were more open to participating, he said.
The event was also used as a vetting stage, “to actually have registered student-players at the University of Guyana”.
Allimah Eastman and Patrick Triumph (with trophies) along with other participants and officials after the presentation for the table tennis competition
Francisco went on to expound on the importance of the tournament towards the balancing of academics and sports.
“Honestly speaking, I don’t think academics is just about academics. I think it’s a balance of both sporting life as well as academics, and I think the table tennis tournament provided that balance, where students could be actively engaged in an activity just after class, because it was held at 4, 4.45 to commence, so students who had to attend classes in the afternoon still had the opportunity to participate…” he noted.
The event was held at the University’s Students Society building at the Turkeyen Campus and attracted a total of 80 entries from across all faculties and departments. Participants (23.6 per cent females and 76.4 per cent males) showcased the growing interest in sports across the University. (Omar Mckenzie)
