President of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) Godfrey Lothian yesterday confirmed that the association has received some funding which will assist in sending a 10-member delegation to the World Championships.

The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA), the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) and The Diaspora out of the United States have all stepped in to provide the much needed assistance, Lothian revealed.

“I am very thankful for the funding by these sponsors, it is really appreciated as it came at the right time. We never got as much as we wanted but despite that we still have to give thanks,” Lothian told the Jamaica Observer in a telephone interview.

Lothian, who will head the delegation, will depart with four others from Kingston to Japan for the championships which is set to run from April 28 to May 6.

He went on to outline that the team will be boosted by the presence of outstanding American coach Barney Reid, who will be travelling with them to the championships.

The female team is made up of Shenique Clare, Yvonne Foster and Kaydian Carney, while Kane Watson will team up with Michael Hyatt, Christopher Marsh and Simon Tomlinson, who are all currently training overseas.

“Everyone is upbeat and we are looking forward to some good performances from the male team. The females were not adequately prepared due to the lack of funding, but I know they will do really well in representing their country,” said Lothian.

He quickly added that the association has some connections in Brooklyn, New York that they will be using to get the females in training overseas leading up to the Senior Caribbean Championships and the Commonwealth Games, which are both set to take place in July.

Clare, who is no stranger to the big stage, outlined that the plan for her going into the tournament is to be resilient.

“Well, my intention is to go there and do my best, apply training techniques and perform at the highest standard possible.

“We are normally placed in groups based on our world ratings so we will be going up against opponents with similar standards, which means our chances of finishing in the top two are high,” said the former captain of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Intercol table tennis team.

— Sherdon Cowan