ANDREW Lue, president of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA), says players will use the two-day Optical Solutions International Limited (OSIL)/JTTA Table Tennis Tournament as preparation for the upcoming CRTTF Caribbean Senior and Junior Championships.

Proceeds from the tournament, he adds, will aid in the players’ campaign.

The OSIL/JTTA Table Tennis Tournament is to be held at UTech’s Alfred Sangster Auditorium today and tomorrow.

Exciting competition is expected in the boys’ and girls’ (Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-19), B-Open, and men’s and women’s events. Players will compete for attractive cash prizes and national ranking points.

Lue said he is anticipating a large turnout for the tournament and a great showing from the players, as they are gearing up for international duties.

“This is a very important tournament. It will be used as preparation for the upcoming CRTTF Caribbean Senior and Junior Championships in Georgetown, Guyana, March 19-April 2, 2023. Players will compete for the richest purse in local table tennis and national ranking points.

“I expect a great turnout as players from the ISSA school competition have been invited and the level of competition has been increasing of late. But, overall, I am expecting a very competitive tournament,” Lue told the Jamaica Observer.

“The organisers are very upbeat, and OSIL has pledged all proceeds from this tournament to the CRTTF Caribbean Championships campaign,” Lue continued.

The most lucrative prizes are available in the men’s ‘A’ category, in which the winner will receive $120,000 for his efforts. The second-place finisher will earn $60,000.

The winner of the men’s ‘B’ crown will take home $70,000 while the runner-up stands to collect $35,000.

In the Women’s Open category the winner gets $80,000 while the runner-up gets $45,000.