The new table tennis season kicked off on Saturday March 14 with the first days of the national championship by team at the gymnasium of the Higher Institute of Youth and Sports in Yaounde.

The competition brought together ten teams in the men’s senior category, eight women club and four cadet teams. The best four teams at the end of the championship will qualifier for the playoffs. The winner of the playoffs emerges champion of Cameroon.

Commenting on the level of play, the National Technical director of the table tennis, Guillaume Moutlen, said the level was still weak and that there was need to work harder especially as Cameroon is going to host the African cup of Nations later in the year.

He disclosed that the federation can now boast of six coaches trained in China to improve on the level of the game. The only hitch on the first day of play was the aborted match between the University Institution of the Gulf of Guinea, IUG and Camrail after IUG withdrew sensing defeat. It was however decided that IUG loses the match by forfeiture.

Conspicuously absent was the reigning Cameroon champion, Ngwe Emmanuel and Ndikum Prosper who were away in Nigeria to take part in the Lagos classics.

Ndikum Prosper was butted out at the quarter finals while Ngwe Emmanuel couldn’t make it through the first round and was ranked 14th from among 16 participants.

According to the technical director, their selection was based on their performances during a qualifying tournament at the Brasseries club in Yaounde and not on their classification.

Talking about the upcoming African Congo, Guillaume Moutlen said only athletes who are likely to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro will be selected.

During the African championship recently in Egypt, only Sarah Hanffou was able to win a bronze medal. The secretary general of the Cameroon table Tennis Association, Eugene Moutlen, disclosed that table tennis was among the sports disciplines retained by government in the pilot project for the detection of young talents, a project which will span over three Olympiads.