09 Oct 2024
Her Royal Highness, Princess Zeina Rashid Jordan, who is also Chairperson of the High-Performance Development Committee at the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU), has praised Aspire Academy's development of young table tennis players.
Her comments came after she had signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the ATTU with Aspire Academy, which was represented by its Deputy Director, Mr. Ali Salem Afifa.
Several senior officials from the ATTU and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) witnessed the ceremony.
Among those present were the ATTU President, Mr. Khalil Al-Mohannadi, who is also the Vice President of the ITTF, as well as Raul Calin, the world governing body's Secretary-General.
"As Aspire Academy, we are proud that the ATTU has decided to collaborate with us on the development of table tennis across Asia." Mr. Ali Salem Afifa said.
"This fact the ATTU has decided to work with us is further recognition of the incredible work and facilities we have here at the Academy."
"We look forward to seeing our joint efforts improving the standards of table tennis here in Qatar and across the whole continent."
HRH Princess Zeina explained why the ATTU has chosen to partner with Aspire Academy in their bid to develop table tennis across Asia.
"Aspire is one of the leading, if not the leading, sports academy in the world, so the idea is to tap into Aspire's expertise," the former international table tennis player said.
"There is a very big difference in levels of table tennis across Asia, so the idea is to try and bridge that gap, which in itself is a very big challenge."
"I believe that table tennis is changing, and we are seeing countries that previously did not compete at the highest levels which are competing and reaching the top 20 in the world."
"I believe that through incorporating a scientific approach and training programs, we can benefit people."
One of the first steps will be for the ATTU and Aspire Academy to create an education platform to help players develop their skills.
"I think education is always key, and we can make that platform accessible to everyone," the Princess added.
"I mean, we are talking about athletes, their parents, and key stakeholders and the member associations themselves.
"Once you build that content, you can incorporate other things, and we can start having joint workshops.
"I think it's also going to be a challenge because it's not so easy to do, but Aspire is strategically located and has world-class facilities, not to mention the incredible expertise here."
The development project's main focus will be younger players to give them the best chance of becoming top-class competitive players.
"The focus will definitely be on the cadet age group, which is 12 to 14 years old, as table tennis is a highly technical sport, so you need to try and correct any problems as early as possible as they are much harder to fix as more time goes, goes on," Her Royal Highness continued.
Aspire Academy's Head Table Tennis Coach, Peter Karlsson, who was also present at the signing, is relishing the idea of being involved in the project.
"A huge benefit for us and for me as a head coach as I hope to see a lot of young boys and girls coming in for training camps here and that, of course, it's going to be very beneficial for our players," he explained.
"The focus will be more on the smaller countries, and I have done the same in Sweden when I was working together with the ITTF for ten years."
"The outcome was amazing - today, I can see many of them are senior players playing in the Olympics, playing for their countries."
"But it's not going to be done in one or two years. We need to give it five to ten years, and I will. I'm confident that there will be a positive impact."
Mr. Khalil Al-Mohannadi, the President of both the ATTU and the Qatar Table Tennis Federation, is also looking forward to Qatar and Aspire Academy making an impact on the sport in Asia.
"Aspire is now one of the most important global centres in training and developing young players, especially in transitioning them from an ordinary level to a global level," he said.
"This collaboration will benefit us in Asia, especially in developing players in regions where table tennis does not reach the global level that we aspire to."
"We aim to raise their level through training and development programs; this will include improving the coaches' skills and enhancing all aspects that serve the sport of table tennis."