05/15/2012       

Situated in the south east of the United States, in the state of Georgia and the host city for the 1996 Olympic Games, Atlanta is the home for an ITTT/PTT Level One Coaches Course from Saturday 12th to Wednesday 16th May 2012.

The expert on duty is Richard McAfee, the man who very much the expert 16 years ago; he was the Tournament Director for the table tennis events at the 1996 Olympiad.

It was the first time at an Olympic Games that China had secured all four gold medals; Liu Guoliang won the Men’s Singles and partnered Kong Lingui to Men’s Doubles success, Deng Yaping did the same in the female events, her partner being Qiao Hong.

Also the current proceedings area first.

Four Regional Courses
Endorsed by the ITTF Development Programme, it is the first of four regionally self-funded ITTF/PPT Level One Courses being offered by the United States of America Table Tennis Association in 2012.

Home for the course is the Atlanta Contemporary Chinese Academy with 13 students in attendance, including two women and also a Class 5 Wheelchair athlete.

Excellent Facilities
“Five tables and excellent classroom facilities have been provided for the course which is organized by the Atlanta Table Tennis Association”, explained Richard McAfee . “A special thanks to Jon Gustavson and Jie Chang who are the local organizers and are making the course a big success.”

Set Example
Three more such courses to follow and no doubt the fact that the crrent course is receiving high plaudits means there are many more to follow.

A delighted group in Atlanta Photo courtesy of Richard McAfee