Por CBTM
At the end of the World Junior Championships 2003 in Santiago, Chile; ITTF President, Adham SHARARA raised the left arm of Osvadlo ARCE, the President of the Chilean Table Tennis Association, in triumph.
The South American country had staged successfully its first ever major ITTF tournament, the first ever World Junior Championships. Staging such an event was a brave move a very brave move.
A success and more success followed in the continent of Latin America in the following two years; more tournaments, titles on the ITTF World Junior Circuit and a firm base on which to build for 2006.
ITTF Pro Tour
The brave move to host the World Junior Championships in Chile in 2003 was followed by more bravery; in 2004 the country hosted its first ever ITTF Pro Tour tournament, in 2005 the tournament grew in size and stature. In 2006 it is an ITTF Pro Tour Major tournament.
The progress being made in Chile highlights the positive approach now being seen in Latin America.
Super Five
In 2005, in addition to ITTF Pro Tour tournaments in Brazil and Chile, the summer months saw the continent host the `Super Five' series of events followed by the Caribbean Championships. The `Super Five' comprised the 11th Central American Under 18 and Under 22 Championships (28th-31st July), the 11th Latin American Junior Championships and 8th Under 21 Championships (1st-5th August), the Top 16 Latin American Cup (6th August), the ITTF Elite Training Camp (8th-10th August) and the ITTF World Junior Circuit event, the El Salvador Junior Open (11th-14th August).
Furthermore, São Paulo was the host city for the ITTF World Junior Circuit, Brazilian Junior Open (8th-11th September 2005) and Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, was the home for the ITTF World Junior Circuit Finals and the ITTF World Cadet Challenge.
Motivated
Organising such a large number of major events is an onerous undertaking and such projects rely on volunteers giving their time willingly and for the good of the sport; those involved no doubt gained great experience are undoubtedly motivated to go one step further in 2005.
The tournaments held in Latin America underline the fact that table tennis is climbing towards the crest of the wave in the that part of the world.
Latin American, Brazil in particular, has produced players who have been able to compete on the world stage but in the twenty-first century players of international stature are not just limited to the country famed for its footballers.
Brazil
In the 1950s Ubiraci Rodrigues da Costa was the teenage sensation; better known as `Biriba', at age of fourteen he played in the World Championships in Germany in 1959 and beat established European stars Radu NEGELESCU and Alex EHRLICH, whilst two years later when the World Championships were staged in Beijing he caused an absolute sensation. He ended the progress of the defending World champion, China's RANG Guotan in the third round!
More recently Biriba's compatriots, Hugo HOYAMA and Thiago MONTEIRO have shown they can compete against the best, both have wins to their credit over Olympic champions. At the Perrier World Cup in 1996, Hugo Hoyama beat KONG Linghui whilst at the Bosideng Multiglory World Cup in 2004 Thiago MONTEIRO defeated RYU Seung Min.
New Generation
In 2005 Efraim CARVALHO kept the Brazilian flag flying high; he travelled to four continents and played in six tournaments on the ITTF World Junior Circuit; won the team event at the Brazilian Junior Open with Ricardo KOJIMA and was the runner up to Russia's Stanislav GOLOVANOV in the Boys' Singles.
Similarly, Brazil's Karin FUKUSHIMA, Mariany NONAKA, Karin SAKO and Jessica YAMADA all made noticeable progress with the Brazilian Junior Open seeing the three girls gain success. FUKUSHIMA won the Cadet Girls' Singles title; NONAKA and SAKO were Girls' Doubles champions whilst YAMADA finished in runners up spot in the Girls' Singles. It was a fine effort by the sixteen year old YAMADA who more recently excelled in the Brazilian National Championships. In the Women's Singles she reached the final; eventually losing Claudia IKEZUMI, a player she knew well, they both play for the Itaim Keiko club in São Paulo.
Wider Spread of Success
However, it is the player who beat Jessica YAMADA in the final of the Girls' Singles event at the Brazilian Junior Open who underlines the fact that there are now more countries in Latin America can compete at an international level.
Paula MEDINA of Columbia won the Girls' Singles title; it was the first ever success for a Columbian player in an event of such stature. Meanwhile, from Cuba, Andy PEREIRA won the Boys' Doubles with Russia's Stanislav GOLOVANOV, the El Salvador duo of Estafania RAMIRIOS and Josue DONADO both impressed; the former finished in runners up spot in the Cadet Girls' Singles whilst Josue DONADO, the winner of no less than four titles at the Latin American Under & Under 21 Championships, reached the quarter-finals of the Boys' Singles event.
Noticeable
The progress of Columbia and Chile is noticeable; in addition to Paula MEDINA, Juan RESTREPO and Laura MOLINA are both rapidly improving young Columbians, they won the Boys' and Girls' Singles titles respectively at the Top 16 Latin American Cup whilst in Chile, Matia CONTRERAS and Félipe OLIVARES show outstanding potential; they were the dominant players at the 10th Latin American Cadet and Mini-Cadet Championships in April.
In addition there is Iizzwa MEDINA of Honduras who competed in the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and her sister Zzwitjhallim; together they have a plethora of titles to their credit and have recently been training in Chinese Taipei in an attempt to raise their level play. Furthermore, in July, Argentina hosted the 3rd Par Panamerican Games whilst Venezuela has an enviable number of training centres and a rising star in the guise of Jonathan PINO.
More To Follow
Two years of immense progress in Latin America and more to come. In the ITTF World Cadet Challenge in the Dominican Republic the continent finished in third place overall, a performance which delighted Miguel DELGADO, the Latin American Table Tennis Union President and underlined the fact that they are closing the gap on Asia and Europe.
Latin America can look forward to 2006 with hop in their hearts, progress is being made and the signs are that the progress will continue and continue at quite a rapid rate.
Source: www.ittf.com
