My brother and I spent many hours in the basement in feverish ping-pong battle. Topspin, slices, drop shots, we did it all. 🙂

SportandDev.org wrote about the International Table Tennis Federation’s Para Table Tennis Level One Course in Paraguay. You can read more at http://www.sportanddev.org/newsnviews/news/?850/Para-Table-Tennis-Moving-Forward-in-Paraguay.

More coverage of that event and other sport and development initiatives by the ITTF and its partners can be seen at its website – http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=19270&Category=. We excerpt here news of an event that took place and was supported by Generations for Peace and the Foundation for Global Sports Development.

(Excerpt)

8/23/09

Amman, the capital of Jordan, often referred to as The City of the Seven Mountains was the home an ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course from Monday 10th to Wednesday 19th August 2009.

The course was organised under the auspices of the ITTF Development Programme,in liaison with Generations For Peace and funded by “The Foundation for Global Sports Development”.

Generations For Peace
Generations For Peace is a global initiative founded by HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan. Initiated in Jordan in April 2007, Generations For Peace runs dedicated programmes to empower, train, and support leaders of youth from conflicted communities around the world.

They use the power of sport to unite children and youth from all sides of their divides to contribute towards a sustainable peace and social cohesion for all, and to enhance the lives of children and youth today and for future generations.

Foundation for Global Sports Development
Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD) supports programs that promote sportsmanship, education, fair play and ethics among the world’s youth. They recently signed a 4 year agreement with ITTF to fund special projects connected to the ITTF Development Program.

Coach
The expert on duty, for the first ITTF/PTT Course to be held in Jordan since the International Table Tennis Federation has launched its new Coaches Accreditation System in 2004, was Egypt’s Ahmed Dawlatly.

A total of 20 students including one woman attended the course which was staged in the premises of the Jordanian Paralympic committee who provided everything necessary for a successful course.

Exchange of Ideas
The sessions were enriched by the high level of the participants questions, many were professional coaches, national coaches and national players, so the discussions were very meaningful, said Ahmed Dawlatly. Moustafa Sadaqa, Jordan champion for many years and still holding that honour, plus Ziad Abou Karaki highlighted the need to strengthen practical work with theory.

Moustafa Sadaqa and Ziad Abou Karaki were not the only experienced people present.

Paralympic Coaches
Haroon H. Shalatouni , Marwan Dia well known Jordan Paralympic Table Tennis National team coaches attended the full 30 hour course adding a special flavour with their international experience to that area, continued Ahmed Dawlatly. The course was followed by five days of coaching visits to clubs and centres recently established by Jordan Table Tennis Federation in different places of the country.

(The article continues at http://www.ittf.com/_front_page/ittf_full_story1.asp?ID=19270&Category=)