Botswana’s table tennis development efforts continue to gather momentum, with the successful staging of the second edition of the Phoenix of Botswana Assurance Maun Open providing further evidence of the sport’s growing footprint beyond traditional centres, in Maun this past weekend.
The tournament attracted 72 players from across the country, including 48 men and 24 women, as athletes competed for top honours in one of Botswana Table Tennis Association’s (BTTA) flagship regional events.
The tournament concluded with Botswana Defence Force (BDF) players dominating the senior categories. Tshireletso Samuel emerged as Senior Men’s champion after defeating clubmate Mompati Chabe 3-2 in a thrilling five-set final. After dropping the second and third sets, Samuel mounted a strong comeback to claim victory with scores of 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, 11-7 and 11-3.
Chabe settled for silver, while Tirelo Tshipinare of Dithubaruba and BDF’s Thobo Matlhatsi shared the bronze medals.
In the Senior Women’s category, BDF’s Tsholofelo Gaokgalemelwe delivered a commanding performance to defeat Nhabe’s Tshepiso Rebatenne 3-0 in the final. Gaokgalemelwe secured the title with scores of 12-10, 11-3 and 14-12. Rebatenne claimed silver, while Briannah Mogaladi of the Bontleng/Ithuteng Project and Constance Kuswani of BDF took bronze medals.
Beyond the competition, the tournament also reflected BTTA’s broader ambitions to expand the sport into Botswana’s regions.
Speaking during the event, BTTA Vice President Reatile Clausen Morapedi said the association remains encouraged by the steady growth of table tennis in recent years.
“The sport has been growing,” Morapedi said. “Last year, table tennis was recognised as National Sporting Association of the Year at the BNSC Sport Awards. This year we were again among the top three nominees, which shows consistency in our development efforts.”
Morapedi pointed to increased participation opportunities and growing pathways for young players as indicators of progress. He noted that for the first time, Under-19 athletes were included in senior national team selection structures, creating opportunities for younger players to transition into elite competition.
The Maun Open forms part of World Table Tennis (WTT) development activities, which Morapedi helps oversee in his role within the organisation. The event was first introduced in Maun in 2025 and has since become an important platform for talent identification and competitive development.
A key pillar of BTTA’s expansion strategy is the establishment of regional development centres. In Maun, the association has partnered with Delta Waters International School to create a permanent training base equipped with tables supplied through BTTA’s sponsorship agreement with Indian table tennis equipment manufacturer STAG.
Morapedi revealed that the four-year partnership, running until 2029, has already delivered 24 tables to Botswana, helping the association extend access to the sport beyond Gaborone.
“We started this centre by bringing tables here, and they are permanently based in Maun,” he said. “We want this to be the starting point so that more partners can come on board and help us establish similar centres in other areas.”
He stressed that private sector partnerships would be critical to sustaining the sport’s growth, citing support from sponsors including STAG, Phoenix Assurance and Jim Motors.
“We do not believe development should rely entirely on government support,” Morapedi said. “Corporate Botswana has an important role to play in growing sports such as table tennis.”
While the Maun development programme is still in its early stages, Morapedi said signs of progress are already emerging. Several players from the Delta Waters programme have begun competing at national tournaments, while one athlete recently represented Botswana during a trip to South Africa.
“We started somewhere and now we are beginning to see the results,” he said. “The next step is increasing the number of young people participating and creating more venues where they can train.”
