by Ian Marshall, Editor
Corporate social responsibility has been very much the principle adopted in the weeks prior to the first ball being hit an anger; coach education and introducing school children to the sport of table tennis has been at the top of the agenda.
Very much an example is being set for all national associations; most significantly it is reported that the initiatives are supported by the queen; notably the king will attend the national championships in January.
On Wednesday 6th November, two introductory table tennis sessions were held in a shopping mall in Korat; some 300 young people from 10 schools in addition to boys’ and girls’ scout groups attended. They were able to play against members of the Thai junior team.
Vsit Nontapum Home
Meanwhile, less than one week later on Tuesday 12th November at the Nontapum Home, an institution for the disabled and also for orphans, sport management students from Thammasat University were present for a corporate responsibility initiative. Fun games for the children were organised, food was prepared; in addition to table tennis music, dancing and painting were introduced into the schedule.
Table tennis equipment, including tables, rackets and balls were donated by the Table Tennis Association of Thailand; most significantly the children received invitations to attend the NSDF 2019 ITTF World Junior Championships.
Furthermore, each school attending the NSDF 2019 ITTF World Junior Championships will receive at least one table tennis table.
It is an initiative that has been applauded by Leandro Olvech, ITTF Foundation Director, Don Mudtangam, Secretary General of the Table Tennis Association of Thailand who hosts a weekly table tennis show and Sakul Ariyachotima, the Deputy Secretary General.
In addition Richard McAfee from the United States is likewise most supportive. He has delivered seven coaches courses in the country, both level one and level two, since 2005 when the country was hit by a tsunami. Most recently, he conducted an ITTF Level Three course.
“The Table Tennis Association of Thailand is for sure a model to follow for many national associations. They take corporate social responsibility very seriously; they work on the social legacy of the event, by bringing more players to the movement but also more visibility to the event. They perfectly understood that doing good actions brings also a benefit for them. This is what we want to promote through the Table Tennis Legacy programmme of the ITTF Foundation.
The progress in the last few year has been tremendous, they are hosting major events, improving in the coaching area by having not only more and better coaches but also being more sustainable and bringing coach education to schools. They are working in the whole package also hosting international events each time bigger, they work simultaneously in different fronts with passion and professionalism.” Leandro Olvech
“We take this World Junior Championships very seriously as a unique opportunity to promote table tennis in Thailand; we have to inspire more girls and boys to play by admiring our national players. This event is the biggest ever that we host and we want to show the Thai hospitality to the world. My life is good because of table tennis and I want to give something back. Thanks to Richard McAfee for helping us to build up our coaching structure, to Leandro Olvech and ITTF Foundation for visiting and supporting us.” Don Mudtangam
“The progress in the last few year has been tremendous, they are hosting major events, improving in the coaching area by having not only more and better coaches but also being more sustainable and bringing the coach education to schools. They are working in the whole package also hosting international events each time bigger, they work simultaneously in different fronts with passion and professionalism.” Richard McAfee
“We are proud of what we have been doing, this is a long term plan where we want to make table tennis in Thailand bigger and stronger.” Sakul Ariyachotima
