“It’s above all a question of budgetslice Yves Douin. Subsidies or solid local support are needed, but also a strong image. La Villette benefited from Jean-Michel Saive and a television exposure which largely contributed to its fame. Today, obtaining a report becomes complicated. Table tennis only appears occasionally in the press.”
In Antwerp, Sokah managed to field a competitive team on the European scene, even if the comparison with the Carole club at its peak remains limited. “The difference is that the people of Antwerp benefit from substantial aid from the City”underlines Yves Douin.
Priority to training
President of TC Vedrinamur, which fields men’s and women’s teams in the Superdivision, Emmanuel Laforge draws the same observation: “Unless you win the Lotto or find an incredible sponsor, it’s impossible…”
And there’s no question of trying the adventure. “Our priority has always been to help our young people grow so that they can one day play in our first teams, and we will not jeopardize our school. Among the men, there is a Brabançon and three Namuroises; among the ladies, a Luxembourger and three Namuroises. Each home game attracts around 150 spectators. It’s not huge compared to other sports, but these people come knowing that they will see young people from the region, trained at the club or part of it.
Team table tennis Euro: soundly beaten by the Lebrun brothers’ France, Belgium eliminated in the quarter-finals
For Jean-Michel Saive, former world number 1, a sport like table tennis also needs a figurehead. “Adrien (Rassenfosse) struck a big blow by beating the Chinese Liang, world No. 5, in August in Sweden. But such performances must be repeated. During the team Euro, Belgium also performed well, with a quarter-final against France. I actually thought we were going to talk about it a little more. This shows that we must multiply good results, particularly individual ones. Today, Belgium has three good players, almost all in the top 100, but they still have to reach a few levels.”
These three players (Rassenfosse, Nuytinck, Allegro), in addition to Lambiet, all play in France or Germany where they benefit from better contracts. “We are not in the world of professional footballrecalls Yves Douin. Our role is above all to develop sport for all.”
