Led by Richard McAfee of the United State, it was his concluding stop on a five week itinerary in India, a schedule which overall had seen him conduct two ITTF Level Two courses, a High Performance Camp and now an ITTF/PTT Level One course, an initiative that excelled expectations.

It was the first such course in the region and proved so popular that the maximum number of 30 students was quickly reached; notably 20 applicants had to be assigned to a waiting list!

A full attendance, a total of 13 coaches were present from the local area, the rest travelling long distances from throughout southern India.

“The Alappuzha YMCA, founded in 1902, has a long history of being a leading provider of youth sports and features a full-time table tennis academy. They also provide training to hundreds of kids daily in a variety of sports.” Richard McAfee

All responded to the efforts of Richard McAfee, notably excellent facilities and outstanding hospitality being provided by the YMCA staff and the Kerala Table Tennis Association. Even more notably, after five days of intense activity, all members passed the practical examination.

“So many people went above and beyond to help in making this first ITTF course in Kerala successful that it is impossible to name them all. However, a special thank you to Dr. P. Kuriapan Varghese, President of the YMCA and N. Ganeshan, President of the Kerala TTA.” Richard McAfee

The ITTF Coaches Education Programme in India is the result of a unique collaboration starting in 2012 between the Table Tennis Federation of India and the International Table Tennis Federation in liaison with Tenvic for whom Mohan Kuman has been the project leader. A great deal of the success and growth of the ITTF programmes in India have been due to his excellent organisational skills.

“Tenvic is a company formed by Anil Kumble and Vasanth Bharadwaj, which promotes the well-being of people and ecosystems across personal and professional spheres. It fosters lasting cultural, social and economic benefits for individuals, societies in India aimed at positively impacting the lives of people through sports in schools and clubs. This year Tenvic organised five ITTF Courses and a 10 day High Performance Camp during April and May. Some 116 Coaches attended these courses with 33 athletes attending the High Performance Camp.” Richard McAfee

Success in Alappuzha, no doubt further courses will follow; no doubt Richard McAfee will return.