EIGHTEEN Jamaicans are among 20 participants presently sitting the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Level Two Coaching Course, which began Monday at the University of Technology (UTech) and ends next Monday.

The eighth-day course sponsored by the Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) is being conducted by Richard McAfee, an ITTF course conductor for Level One, Two and Three trainers worldwide.

McAfee is also the United States Table Tennis national coaching chairman, and a Hall of Fame member.

He arrived in the island with Carlos Bolanos, ITTF representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Katarzyna Kubas from Poland, who is the continental coordinator.

Guatemalan Bolanos and Kubas are expected to take the Level Two course examinations.

The three were greeted at the JOA’s office by its President Christopher Samuda, along with Table Tennis Jamaica (TTJ) President Godfrey Lothian, and JOA CEO Ryan Foster on Sunday.

Speaking at the press conference on Sunday, McAfee warned that the Level Two Course was technical and would be difficult to pass. The American, who has been training table tennis players for the past 20 years, added that it was difficult to find people doing the Level One course, which he believes is the most technical in the world.

“The Caribbean has six course conductors and we are looking to have more passing the examination,” Lothian said. “We are also ensuring that we have more coaches and popularise the sport across the country by also using it to cut crime.”

Lothian said TTJ will be looking to have a new coach, as former Head Coach Satoshi Takashima will be returning to Japan after his two-year stint ended Monday.

Meanwhile, Samuda welcomed the representatives from the ITTF and said the association is pleased to be the main sponsor of the course.

The Jamaicans sitting the course conductors training to become certified Level Two coaches are Peter Kavanaugh, Matthew Dawson, Colin McNeish, Richard Davidson, Peter Daley, Konata Beluchi, Rohan Schloss, Devon Wisdom, Rudolph Sinclair, Javanne Wynter, Kevin Hemmings, Maxeline Knuckle, Nicholas Morrison, Orvill Young, Moraine Dawson, Sean Wallace, Paul Curtis and Shayne Frost,

Only three participants — Kavanaugh, Bolanos and Kubas — will be taking the Level Two Course Conductor test, while the other Jamaicans will be sitting the exams to become certified Level Two coaches.

Kavanaugh was the first Level Two coach from the Caribbean to conduct a coaches seminar in Granada last November, where 19 participants have passed the test.