The Senior Caribbean Table Tennis Championships currently underway at the Beausejour Indoor Facility is one of two major table tennis tournaments that have received support from St Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC). The other is the OECS Table Tennis Championships which was held here from August 24-25, 2013.
Just ahead of the two events LUCELEC presented the National Table Tennis Association with a sponsorship cheque of $10,000 towards its hosting of both tournaments.
Since then, on Sunday, August 25, 2013, the Saint Lucia National Team defeated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to capture the title of OECS Table Tennis Champions.
Ten countries and over nearly 200 participants are expected to compete in the two championships projected to contribute over $200,000 to the local economy by the time they come to a close on the weekend. LUCELEC Corporate Communications Manager Mr Roger Joseph says these factors coupled with the spectacle of this major sporting event were some of the reasons the company chose to support the
National Table Tennis Association.
“St Lucia has been involved in table tennis at the regional level for a long time and we have done well. We have also hosted several major sporting competitions in recent years. However, this is the first large scale table tennis tournament that St. Lucia is hosting in a very long time, and we think it will provide a good fillip for a sport that tends to be overshadowed at times,” Mr Joseph said.
LUCELEC is also pleased with the stated intent of the National Table Tennis Association to re-introduce table tennis into schools around the island.
A noted supporter of sports in schools at various levels, in 2012 LUCELEC made a $150,000 commitment to the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports towards the
national school sports programme over the next three years. Last year, that funding paid for three major school tournaments.
Among the countries expected to participate during the Table Tennis Championships are St Vincent, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Haiti. A boost for the Sports Tourism market, the tournament is also seen as a testing ground for the local hosting of the Junior Commonwealth Games in 2017.
