Connecting Jamaica to the world
Presidential candidate wants to expand table tennis globally
Published:Sunday | August 13, 2023 | 12:11 AMJob Nelson - Sports Coordinator
JAMAICA TABLE Tennis Association (JTTA) presidential candidate Samuel Lamont intends to leverage his international connections as a singer to benefit the game on the island, if he gets the nod to lead the beleaguered organisation.
According to Lamont, he aims to spread the sport across the length and breadth of Jamaica, taking it to the rural areas and from mainly urban centres where table tennis is currently played.
Included in Lamont’s plans also is an intent to twin Jamaica’s music and culture with sports, which he hopes will attract the next generation of stars to table tennis.
In a recent interview with The Sunday Gleaner, Lamont emphasised the need for the president of the JTTA to have the capacity to garner international partners that will help to lift the standard of the island’s players while assisting with equipment and infrastructure.
“One of the most important things is to ensure that we build partnerships, not just with corporate Jamaica but with the diaspora. I have already built some of those partnerships.
“I have links in place already with the diaspora, the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) and LATTU (Latin America Table Tennis Union). Those things were in place for a long time,” Lamont said.
He, however, noted before that, being allowed to take up the presidency, he would clean up the undertakings of the JTTA with several crucial initiatives to place the body in good stead in critical areas.
“The first thing as president is to attempt to clear the debt, because, without clearing that debt, the association is not in good standing. We have to investigate the debtors and creditors and try our best – even if we do not clear it, because we would not have the money at that time to ensure the pathway is made clear, so that we can rectify it.
“The second most important thing is to do an inventory, not just of the equipment, but of the players and playing facilities, and see how we can think about expanding the capacity of the clubs and parish associations. We need to ensure that every parish has table tennis,” Lamont said.
IMPORTANT ASSET
According to Lamont, without being president, he has already used his connections to benefit the association, as he was an important asset in a deal with Stag Manufacturing, which enables Jamaica to regularly get essential equipment for the sport.
He stated that, through his undertakings, he helped Jamaica to participate in major international tournaments, which will be further enhanced with massive fundraising geared towards infusing a yearly budget of $50 million in the activities of the JTTA.
Lamont was adamant that these plans were not wishful thinking.
“I am a singer and respected in the entertainment industry, so we will be doing massive local and international fundraising, using music and culture as part of the base. Then, we will seek partnerships, sponsors, and donations and put table tennis everywhere – in churches, police stations, community centres and all about the place.
“I will continue the entire development programme because I helped the development by working with parish associations and clubs all over the country,” Lamont said.
He, however, expressed scepticism about being elevated to the presidency, arguing that the current affiliates list omits clubs and institutions who would have provided the winning votes to lift him to the top of the JTTA.
“Nationally, there is a lot of support for me among people who might not have the vote. But what we do have is a narrow voting group which has scaled down, and we have a lot of candidates,” Lamont said.
He is vying for the presidency with current head Andrew Lue, general secretary of Skills Unlimited Table Tennis Academy (SUTTA), Ingrid Graham, and president of the Kingston and St Andrew Table Tennis Association (KSATTA), Stephen Grant.