ITTF coach ends 5-month stint in SVG

The five-month tenure of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) coach, Ahmed Dawlatly has ended, but his work is expected to continue.

Entrusted with ensuring that his programme is followed are the National Olympic Association and the local Table Tennis Association.{{more}}

The Egyptian-born Dawlatly completed his coaching last week, satisfied that much was accomplished.

Among his list of achievements was the establishment of a juvenile training programme for children ages 7 to 11, from schools in Kingstown.

Dawlatly though, identified the completion of a level one certificate course as his major accomplishment. The course, the second of its kind to be held in Latin America and the Caribbean, was hailed by Dawlatly as “successful,” Since seven coaches were certified.

The coaches: Joseph Carrington, Robert Ballantyne, Rodney Caruth, Julian Sutherland, Sean Stanley, Unica Velox and Natasha Shortte completed 30 hours of coaching practice, making them eligible to instruct at the national level.

He praised the coaches for exhibiting a professional attitude during their tuition.

Dawlatly is hopeful that these coaches will pick up the mantle and assist the young table tennis players with realizing their potential.

He sees the training of the young players as critical to the development of the sport, as he observed that table tennis players here are introduced to the sport “too late.”

Citing a big gap between the junior and senior players, Dawlatly thinks that the schools’ initiative is a good move to narrow this gap.

Promoting a more disciplined approach to practice, Dawlatly urged the seasoned players to continue to practice regularly.

“Starting to practice just before a tournament will never help,” Dawlatly, a certified coach for seventeen years, warned.

While here, Dawlatly witnessed the Firms and Industrial tournament, as well as the Jim Maloney Memorial and the Independence Classic, and prepared the national junior team for the Caribbean championships.

Apart from conducting the Level One programme, other coaches attained certification at Club and school levels.

The impact of Dawlatly’s contribution will be first measured when this country participates in the Commonwealth Games next year in Melbourne, Australia.