UKUBAMBA iqhaza emncintiswaneni i-ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, kunikeze iqembu lakuleli izifundo ezibalulekile, ngokusho komqeqeshi uSimon Gologolo.
Umqhudelwano obophele abadlali abahamba phambili emhlabeni uqale ngoMgqibelo e-International Convention Centre (ICC), eThekwini. Imidlalo izoqhubeka ize usongwe ngeSonto.
Iqembu lakuleli belibunjwe ngabadlali besilisa abane uTheo Cogill, Dean Levy, Chetan Nathoo noLiam Beukes, nabane besifazane okunguDanisha Patel, Zodwa Maphanga, Lailaa Edwards noMusfiquh Kalam.
Alikwazanga ukunqoba nowodwa umdlalo emikhakheni yabadlala ngabodwana, nabadlala ngababili.
UPatel noMaphanga badlulele emzuliswaneni wesibili kwabesifazane abadlala ngababili ngenxa yokuthi laba obekufanele babhekane nabo, uTammi Agari noTracy Mawa, basePapua New Guinea, naseVanuatu, abalubhadanga enkundleni.
Uhambo lwabo luphelele kwiLast 32 lapho beguqiswe khona nguHina Mayata, benoMima Ito baseJapan ngo 3-0.
“Kusukela manje ngiyethemba ukuthi sizoba yingxenye yemiqhudelwano yeWTT (World Table Tennis) edlalwa unyaka wonke, ukuze abadlali bethu bajwayele ukuqhudelana ezingeni eliphezulu,” kusho uGologolo.
"Okwamanje asikayijwayeli ingcindezi eza nomqhudelwano omkhulu kangaka. Sike sadlala etafuleni lokuqala, okuyilona elisuke libukwa ngabantu ababalelwa ku-250 million emhlabeni, kwithelevishini nakwezinye izinkundla. Lokho kuyinto entsha futhi okunzima ukuthi abadlali bethu bayiqonde.
"Sidinga ukuba yingxenye yeminye imiqhudelwano, kungaba yiWTT, ama-African Championships, noma ama-Olympic entsha. Siyakudinga lokho ukuze abadlali bethu bakwazi ukuzilungiselela ngokomzimba nangokwengqondo."
Iqembu lakukeli lichithe amasonto amathathu lizilolonga e-STAG Table Tennis Academy eNew Delhi, e-India, ngaphambi kokungena kulo mqhudelwano. UGologolo uthe nakuba le khempu iwenzile umehluko kodwa isikhathi besisincane kakhulu.
“Kudingeka iminyaka emibili noma emithathu ukulungiselela umqhudelwano ofana nalo, ngeshwa asibanga nesikhathi esanele ngenxa yezimo ezithile,” uphawule kanje.
“Esikwenze e-India, bekuqondene ngqo nalo mqhudelwano kodwa isikhathi besisincane. Uma singasebenzisa iChina njengesibonelo, sebeneminyaka belungiselela lamaWorld Championships. Bekuzosisiza ukubamba amakhempu athe xaxa nokudlala kweminye imiqhudelwano"
Umdlali wesilisa ovelele e-Afrika, uQuadri Aruna waseNigeria, ushaye u-Ovidiu Ionescu waseRomania ngo 4-2 emzuliswaneni wokuqala kodwa wakhishwa ngu-Alvaro Robles waseSpain, ngo 4-3 kwiLast 64.
Ngasohlangothini lwabesifazane uDina Meshref wase-Egypt, unqobe uZhou Jingyi waseSingapore, ngo 4-2 emzuliswaneni wokuqala, wadlula ku-Anna Wegrzyn wasePoland, ngo 4-0 kwiLast 32.