St Kitts and Nevis’ participation in 2023 TT tourneys doubtful

THERE IS LITTLE CHANCE THAT RACQUET-WIELDERS FROM ST KITTS AND NEVIS will participate in three table tennis tournaments this year said the recently-elected President of the association, Troy ‘Bif” Mills.

“It’s very unlikely. We had a meeting Friday and we are going to have another one next Friday and that is on the agenda. But unofficially it is unlikely that we will be able to field a team,” Mills said.

In an exclusive with www.sknnewssource.com, Mills who took over the helm of the association a mere 10 days ago from Calvin Lake, said while they are keen to participate in the Central American & Caribbean (CAC) Games from March 16 to 19, the senior Caribbean Championship from March 20 to 26 and the Caribbean Youth and Cadet Championship from March 27 to April 1, to be hosted in Guyana, it is now very doubtful.   

“Adequate preparation was not done. It is very unlikely that we would be able to have representation there this year. We recently got in (the new executive) and trying to get our feet wet, so we have to see how things are. The finances of many of these sporting organisations are not a strong thing, whether it’s football and cricket,” Mills explained.

However, he still sees a glimmer of hope.

“We have not written it off or said that we can’t, we have to sit down and see what is possible and see if representation can happen, if any at all,” he said.

Mils recounted that in better times (2008), St Kitts and Nevis hosted the Caribbean Regional Table Tennis Federation (CRTTF) Mini and Pre-Cadet Championship.

“I am familiar with this sort of model because we would have staged it here in 2008, the Cadet championships, so I am somewhat familiar with it over the years. It is something that we are looking forward to, and as such, we have not taken it off the table even from an administrative level. But the likelihood of that happening will have to be examined while we have a meeting next Friday and it doesn’t give us a lot of time, we will see if and how,” Mills said.

“If any individual or individuals is/are able to come up with funding, we are going to give them our blessings completely,” he assured.

“We don’t believe is stifling the players, and as a matter of fact, one of the things that we want to do when we settle in, is to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have them get in touch with their Embassies and High Commissions overseas to put out a call for any Kittitians and Nevisians in the diaspora who play table tennis.”

He continued, “That is something that we have already discussed in the meeting there. Once it’s proven that you are a Kittitian and Nevisian, and of course, it depends on your standards too. Not because you say you play table tennis we are going to allow you to participate, we have to be satisfied that you can play (well) so we would need media and video clips of your progress and your winnings…of various competitions.”

The Caribbean Championship will serve as a qualifying event for the Pan American (PANAM) Games and Pan American Table Tennis Championships.

The junior tournament, which caters to 19 years and under (Youth) and 15 years and under (Cadet), is also a qualifier for the PANAM Championships.

Of the 12 teams that qualify for CAC Games, based on current world rankings, Puerto Rico, Mexico, El Salvador and Cuba have secured a spot.