Kenya Table Tennis Association president Andrew Mudibo says the federation wants to see more junior players ascend to the professional level and realise their potential.
Mudibo was speaking during the inauguration of a strength and conditioning camp for table tennis players, spearheaded by Trailblazers' strength and conditioning team.
"KTTA has been going through a transformative stage. Today, we called upon Trailblazers as our partners in strength and conditioning. It's a long haul, especially for junior athletes. We are hoping they (juniors) will be part of the team for the major competitions. At the end of the day, for us at KTTA, our aim is to provide the best for the athletes and to ensure our athletes get the best and are able to perform," Mudibo said.
He added: "Trailblazers have come together with sports physiotherapists and nutritionists. For us, we are looking forward to our young players' programme and not just the senior team."
Mudibo also expressed hope that the competition between senior and junior players will bear fruit as far as the development of table tennis is concerned.
"Each month the senior and junior athletes are expected to play each other so that we get the best top players who will be representing us. It is a competitive phase they have gone through. As you are aware, the All Africa Games will be here with us and this will be an opportunity for our players to qualify for Paris 2024. We believe this is our time and we are ready for it," he said.
The training session for the Olympics hopefuls was overseen by Trailblazers' founder Richard Joseph as well as instructor Jeff Onyango and physio Kate Abilla.
Speaking at the same time, Joseph said the main focus is to provide strength and conditioning to Kenyan teams so they are optimally prepared for the tasks ahead.
"We want to offer specialized and tailor-made strength and conditioning support to various disciplines and the team is happy to be part of the table tennis family," Joseph said.
Joseph further added that the programme seeks to improve athletes' mental fortitude to handle the pressure of playing on an international platform.
"One of our key objectives is to help the table tennis player gain agility in play, strengthen their shoulders, enjoy mobility and among other aspects, be energy efficient," he said.
He added: "We want to offer specialised strength and conditioning support to various disciplines and the team is happy to be part of the table tennis family."
