Botswana’s junior table tennis team is testing its progress against Africa’s best as a long-term development plan gathers pace.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana Table Tennis Association’s junior national team, Junior Diteemane, is competing at the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Championships in Accra, Ghana, from July 21 to 27.
The delegation includes team manager Godileone Bagwasi, coaches Brown Sebokolodi and Kagiso Emmah Lelatisitswe, and players Boitlamo Nkele, Carol Peengo David, Stephaney Batsholeng, Brianna Mogaladi, Reneilwe Lekorwe, Thato Kgongwana and Gofaone Dzvaka.
Bagwasi and Batsholeng travelled to Ghana earlier for the ITTF Africa Youth Hopes Week and will join the rest of the team for the championships.
BUILDING EXPERIENCE
Botswana enters the continental competition after a strong showing at the South African National Championships, where the junior team faced strong opposition.
The results highlighted progress made through BTTA’s player development programme and the growing depth of talent within the squad.
The team combines experienced junior internationals and emerging players, several of whom have represented Botswana at regional and international competitions.
BTTA president Kudzanani Motswagole said the association remains focused on developing players from grassroots level and preparing them for higher competition.
“We are conducting a serious objective of grassroots development, take kids from streets to the podium, for them to dominate the Southern Africa region before competing continentally,” Motswagole said.
LONG GAME
Motswagole said some players are as young as 10 and Botswana has become increasingly competitive in the region.
“The team consists young players with some being 10 years, in the region we are now a force and we are terrorizing countries like South Africa which are difficult,” he said.
He said the Africa Youth Championships would give the players valuable exposure as they continue developing.
“In Ghana the scope is large in terms of competition, this year the issue is not results, it’s for them to get the feel and the grasp of how competition can be, learn so that next year we take the very same team to the same competition to now compete,” Motswagole said.
The tournament forms part of a wider strategy to prepare the players for future continental and global competition.
“It’s all about strategy, continentally by extension enters you into the world stage. We are really serious about development at table tennis,” he said.
BTTA views the championships as a vital step in exposing young players to international standards while maintaining its long-term development programme.