‘Finishing last not unexpected’: Table tennis federation GS Sonnet

Both Bangladesh men's and women's table tennis teams finished at the bottom of the just-concluded five-team South Asian Regional Championship which also served as the qualifiers of the World Team Table Tennis Championship. Having accompanied both teams in Nepal, Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation general secretary and former paddler Maksud Ahmed Sonnet talked to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman from Kathmandu about what led to the disappointing performances and the path ahead. Following are the excerpts.

The Daily Star (DS): How do you evaluate the performances of both the Bangladesh men's and women's teams in Nepal?

Maksud Ahmed Sonnet (MAS): It was not unexpected, and they deserved the results. We initially did not want to send the teams to the championship, but we changed our decision at the last minute and sent them because both us and the players need to know where we stand. I am taking full responsibility for all the blame being pinned on me and the federation because I did not find any system when I took charge of the federation. Even the record of the BTTF general secretary's email id was erased.

DS: After the championship, where do you think Bangladesh stands in table tennis?

MAS: In the women's section, we were fifth of the five teams because all of our opponents are much superior in terms of physical fitness. The women's team can't apply whatever technique and skill they possess because of poor fitness.

In the men's section, we fell behind because we had not played enough matches. I think [Mohutasin Ahmed] Ridoy was the best peddler after the Indian players. Ramhim Lian [Bawm] and Javed [Ahmed] were at the level of other players. Ridoy did not take part in the camp, Ramhin joined the camp late while Javed was irregular in the camp. Only Imrul Kayes Emon practiced regularly but we could not use him because of his lack of confidence.

I think the male players were in a good position, but they could not perform this time and it was their own fault. But the female players lag behind others who are progressing with a proper plan and the right infrastructure.

DS: You spoke the fitness issue, but Bangladesh had done well in the 2023 Asian Championship in China, finishing ahead of all South Asian nations except India.

MAS: That time, there was a regular training camp. We took over the responsibility in February and started the camp on May 27, and we did not force the players to stay in the camp permanently. Besides, there were no practice matches and tournaments. So, a big gap has been created and it will take time to come out of it.

DS: What is the way out for the country's table tennis?

MAS: There is no physio centre in the National Stadium premises. I appointed a physio instructor, but we couldn't utilise him completely because we don't have a gym. Every day, the players are given six hours of training, but I think the environment diminishes more than half of the effort the players put in. The training area was supposed to be air-conditioned but it's not. There is also no accommodation for the players. We can't maximise the effort we put in for the players till the conditions get imporved.

DS: Do you feel the need of a long-term camp under a foreign coach and regular domestic competitions to revive table tennis?

MAS: We are going to appoint a coach from Thailand on August 3, as we could not rope in a Chinese coach despite trying our best. The Thai coach will conduct the training. We are also going to introduce youth table tennis tournament across the country, having four age groups of U-11, U-13, U-15 and U-17 as well as regularise competitions like Federation Cup, National Table tennis League, Premier League and the ranking tournaments. We also need to revive club culture to expand the training facilities under the clubs, like Nepal and Sri Lanka are doing at the moment.

DS: What was the objective behind the training camp that got underway in last June with 16 boys and as many girls?

MAS: Our aim is too to understand the standard of Bangladeshi paddlers. So far, table tennis has been confined to the wooden floor stadium, there were no spectators or media. Table tennis had been confined to only international tournaments in a bid to attract all. But table tennis used to be a country-wide game which saw dominant clubs like Swamibagh club, Armanitola club, Young Pegasus and others. But the club culture has disappeared. If we want to improve in table tennis, there is no alternative to reviving the table tennis club culture.

DS: There had been a disagreement between the federation and the players over the selection of the teams for the championship. What is your stance on it after the tournament?

MAS: We will definitely conduct trials before choosing players for any international tournament. We will call up the players on the basis of rankings but no one will go abroad without playing trial matches, through which the team will be selected.