In a significant development for youth sports, a group
of 15 promising table tennis players, aged 11 to 17, associated with the Sports
Authority of India (SAI) are set to embark on a training tour to China’s Chengdu.
This initiative, which includes seven girls and eight boys,
aims to provide young athletes with the opportunity to enhance their skills and
gain valuable international exposure.
The training camp is scheduled to commence in the
first week of November and is expected to be one of the most substantial
training sessions in recent years. The young athletes, guided by a dedicated
coaching team, will engage in rigorous practice and skill development to
prepare them for future competitions.
The coaching team accompanying the young athletes
includes Khushboo Soni, who serves as the assistant table tennis coach.
Additionally, the head coach, Ying, will lead the training program and ensure
that the participants receive expert guidance.
Some of the players who are going are Ishan Kumar Roy,
Sousorjo Bannerjee, Ranjini Saha, Ananya Roy, Arohi Roy, Indira Sen, Abhilasa
Bhattacharya, Shreya Mukherjee, Anik Datta, Shahida Sarkar, Md Hasan and
Srestho Chakraborty.
“I congratulate you for going to China at your age.
Such an opportunity tells us you are already very successful. China is a land
of table tennis. You have to keep your trust in me and your coach Ying for your
betterment,” said Zha Liyou, the Consul General of China in Kolkata, in a
meeting with young players.
Zha said it is one very rare opportunity to share
friendship between the two countries.
Congratulating Bharat for their stellar performance at
the Asian Games as well as the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou and bagging more
than 100 medals, Zha Liyou said, “I am very excited to know that 15 top young
players of table tennis are going to China. It is one very rare opportunity to
share friendship between the two countries.
Sports and youth, are the two areas my office has been
working very hard. I also want to take this opportunity to appreciate the
coaching team. China has a very strong facility… I am very sure that these
young talents will have a wonderful time in China. I want to congratulate India
for its wonderful performance at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. I know they have
won plenty of medals in the Asian Games as well as the Para Games.”
Dongari Lakshman Assistant Director of SAI Kolkata
said that the effort will ensure that the young table tennis players get the
best foreign exposure in China.
Lakshman added that the athlete will be leaving on November
1 and will stay in China till November 16.
“SAI always believes in giving the best training and
coaching efforts to all the athletes. So, in this effort to ensure they get the
best foreign exposure SAI are sending 15 athletes from Kolkata to Chengdu. They
will be staying there for 15 days where they will be playing with foreign
players. There are seven boys and eight girls. They will be going on November
1st and will stay till 16th for 15 days,” said Dongari.
Khushboo Soni the assistant coach said that they are
looking forward to the trip and to learning new techniques in China.
“As a coach, it is a proud feeling for me that my
students are going to China. We all know China is a dominating country in table
tennis all over the world. Me and my players are very excited to learn new
techniques from there,” remarked Khushboo.
The trip to Chengdu in China represents an exciting
opportunity for these young athletes to enhance their skills, gain
international exposure, and bring valuable experiences back to India.
ANI
