Hi Adham,
I follow the news on the ITTF website concerning development events especially in Central America. As it is communicated it seems to me rather like individual support and incentives. I wonder if the national federations are prepared to really get the best benefit out of it.
Based on feedback from players and coaches across Latin America I know that the available ressources, both human and financial, are generally not abundant, but very different from one country to another.
What is the ITTF doing to support the countries, especially small ones, in creating sustainable development for TT in their country and exploring ways to obtain a better political presence for their national federation?
Maybe you could give some background about the broader concept and strategy of the development programme.
Most of the people think that popular sports are more or less defined forever at least on country level.
Just to give one example, this year Panama won the first Olympic gold medal in its history through Irving Saladino in long jump. A few years back almost nobody in Panama was aware that this sports exists, today Saladino is probably better known than the president of the republic and the day he returned from Beijing was declared national holiday.
This just to underline the potential in smaller countries.
Rene