Table tennis receives record sponsorship
Spira Tlhankane | Friday July 24, 2015 13:03
Addressing the press yesterday, BTTA president Lesego Maifala said it was an important occasion for table tennis as the sponsorship was the biggest funding they have ever received from the private sector.
“After a review, we saw it fit to upgrade our performance and in the end we came up with a four year development plan,” he said.
Maifala added the plan would help expose junior athletes to training sessions outside the country where they can keep up with international standards. He said the limited resources make it hard for athletes to excel.
“We would use the little resources that we have to bring more medals as our four year plan will also address the issue of performance,” he explained. Handing over the cheque, Master Timbers managing director, Yang Xiaong said they believe in good corporate citizenship. “We have committed to assisting the development of sport in our community,” he said. Xiaong said Master Timbers chose to sponsor table tennis because it is the most popular sport in China, where the timber company originates. He added that development was key to success in any sport therefore it was important to plant a seed of success in table tennis. “Our passion continues to grow each year and we have assisted BTTA with funding since 2010,” he said. Xiaong said they would continue with the relationship and open their scope wider to cover other sporting codes.
The Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) chairman, Solly Reikeletseng said Master Timbers made a good choice by sponsoring BTTA. “Table tennis is genuine and it will sell the company. BTTA has to remain reputable and help grow the brand of Master Timbers,” he said. He encouraged BTTA to take business to people who support them. Reikeletseng applauded BTTA for going beyond the BNSC call by coming up with a strategic plan. “BTTA aligned the strategy with BNSC’s Vision 2028 and upgraded it,” he said.
Reikeletseng emphasised time has passed and now codes have to meet their targets.
“It is hard to get sponsorship in these hard times because companies put in money when something is done right,” he said. He encouraged BTTA to keep adhering to the system and meeting their targets.