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Haiti, Welcome to the 2006 LIEBHERR World Team Table Tennis Championships

4/25/2006

Formed in 1997, accepted as a member of the International Table Tennis Federation at the Annual General Meeting in 1999, the small Caribbean island of Haiti has made another step forward in 2006.

They are present in Bremen at the 2006 LIEBHERR World Team Table Tennis Championships; it is the first time they have participated in a world title event.

Heart & Soul

The reason they have travelled to Bremen is largely through the efforts of the charismatic forty-seven year old, Herold Francois, the International Co-ordinator of the Haiti Table Tennis Association. He is the heart and soul of table tennis in Haiti, not only does he co-ordinate matters he is also the founder of the association.

Born in Jean-Rable on the island of Tahiti he is enjoying every moment of being in Bremen, he is soaking up the atmosphere, everything is new, he has come to a different world and he just can?t stop smiling.

Victory in Defeat

The team lost their opening match to Macao, the lost three-nil but Emmanuel Garcia did manage to extend one opponent to four games and that showed the team can be competitive. However, Herold Francois was not dismayed at the defeat, in fact he was quite the opposite. ?Just being here in Bremen is for us a gold medal?, he said. ?We are winners just being here, it?s a great experience, it?s fantastic.?

Haiti is an island of seven million people with about four hundred registered table tennis players. ?We have fifteen coaches as a result of Olympic Solidarity Programmes and two years ago we received six tables from the ITTF plus bats and balls.?

Character

The fact that the Haitian players are in Bremen is a credit to their characters, they have one training centre on the island, in Port-au-Prince and in order to compete at the LIEBHERR World Team Table Tennis Championships, they have organised their own funding. Alongside his brother, Audmar, Herold has persuaded two major sponsors to support the trip, Sozebank (as the name suggests a bank) and Brana (a soft drinks company); however, the two companies have not met the total cost and every member of the party has had to contribute.

Nevertheless, the attitude is totally positive; there are no moans and groans. ?We now want to integrate?, explained Herold Francois. ?We want to build a momentum for table tennis in Haiti and being here in Bremen really motivates our players.?

Disappointment

Herold Francois is positive but there was just one tinge of disappointment in his comments. ?At the opening ceremony, when they read out the list of teams our name wasn?t mentioned?, he explained, still with a smile on his face. ?That was sad but the main thing is we are here.?

He understands, he realises that the German Table Tennis Association is trying their best to make everyone welcome, he?s not the kind of person to grumble, he?s thankful that Haiti can play in an event in which the likes of China, Sweden, Germany, Korea, Japan and the other giants of the sport play.

Welcome

On behalf of the whole table tennis family ?Haiti, welcome to the 2006 LIEBHERR World Team Table Tennis Championships, enjoy your time in Bremen; you have earned the respect of the table tennis family.?