Ambassador of China to South Africa, Wu Peng has handed over to Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie a R2 million consignment of table tennis equipment donated to South Africa from China.
The mega donation which took place at Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum in Tshwane follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the field of sport in 2023 between the Government of the Republic of South Africa, and the People’s Republic of China.
Ambassador Wu said the batch of table tennis equipment was donated by the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Table Tennis Association to support the development and promotion of table tennis in South Africa.
“In China, table tennis is known as the national sport, not only because of the country's remarkable achievements in the table tennis competition but also because it is popular across cities, villages, communities, and schools, making it accessible to everyone,” he said.
In May last year, the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships were successfully held in Durban. This marked the return of the Championships to Africa after 84 years, a milestone for the development of table tennis in South Africa and the African continent as a whole.
“It not only introduced more South Africans to the sport but also inspired many young locals to take up table tennis, promoting its popularisation across the country,” said Wu.
“China and South Africa each have their unique strengths in the field of sports and culture. Table tennis and martial arts are iconic representations of Chinese sports culture, while South Africa excels in rugby and football, achievements from which China can learn and draw inspiration. Through vibrant cultural exchanges in sports, young people from both countries have the opportunity to experience each other's cultures, fostering deeper understanding and friendship between the two nations.”
Wu said this interaction strengthens the foundation of China-South Africa friendship, allowing it to flourish across various fields.
The veteran diplomat highlighted that the friendship between China and South Africa has a long history, and the handover ceremony on Monday signified an even brighter future for the bilateral relations.
“As an African proverb says - if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together. I hope that in the future, we will see more South African athletes on the international table tennis stage, writing a new chapter in the friendship between China and South Africa. I also warmly invite Minister McKenzie to try table tennis and visit China to challenge local players in China,” said Wu.
“Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the South African government and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture for your strong support in ensuring the successful delivery of this equipment. My gratitude also goes to Minister McKenzie for the thoughtful organization of this handover ceremony and to all the friends who contributed to making this possible.”
Receiving the table tennis consignment, Minister McKenzie started off by congratulating the Chinese diplomat, Wu, for his appointment to South Africa which happened earlier this year.
McKenzie told the gathering that there is a ‘Project 350” which is in the pipeline which will see South Africa sending greater numbers of competitors to international competitions.
“A country as great as ours cannot be taking only hundred Olympians to the Olympics. We are planning in Los Angeles to take 300 abled athletes and 50 disabled athletes to the Olympics for the first time. It will be a record amount. It will be double what we took the last time,” said McKenzie.
After the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, the famous five-ringed Olympics was handed on to the 2028 host city, Los Angeles in the United States of America.
“Table tennis is playing a major role in making sure we taking a lot of people to the Olympics. This gift from the People’s Republic of China is playing a greater role in us fulfilling that task that we set ourselves. For that, I want to thank you ambassador,” said McKenzie.
The minister apologised profusely to the Chinese ambassador, and president of the SA Table Tennis Board (SATTB) Joe Carrim over the bungling of the receiving of the generous Chinese donation which McKenzie said the consignment was given around a year ago.
The much-needed table tennis equipment was held up due to “some bureaucratic mess”, according to McKenzie, who insisted there will be serious consequences for those who bungled the process.
“I have already apologised to the ambassador. I can assure you, I heard about this hence today I speedily arranged for it to be handed over. I can assure you Mr Carrim of my greatest apologies but there will be serious consequences after this meeting. Regarding the delay. There will be consequences which you will read about because it is a new era in sport,” said McKenzie.
“There is no time for people that are not serious about changing lives. A kid in sport is a kid out court – that is the motto I live by. So many kids could have benefited already from this great gift from the People’s Republic of China and we messed it up. We shall fix it and I want to express my apologies to you and your federation. Please accept my most humble apology for the fact that you had to wait a year for such a gift.”
The minister enjoyed a game of table tennis with the Chinese ambassador at the Freedom Park Heritage Site and Museum.
IOL