Popular table tennis in Cuba – Famagusta Gazette

Cuban table tennis players have benefited from sports equipment donated by Chinese companies in recent years.

Among them is Shely Delgado, who won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2018 National Tennis Championships.

The 22-year-old is now practicing hard at the Cerro Pelado Center of Excellence in Havana ahead of next year’s regional competition on the island.

“The quality of Chinese equipment is very high,” he said, adding that “our training conditions have improved considerably.”

The donation included clubs, balls, tables, nets, and footwear and clothing.

Angel Antonio Rodriguez, secretary of the Cuban Table Tennis Association, said Chinese companies have helped Cuba not only by donating the latest technology, but also by playing field training in China.

“Chinese table tennis players are a global reference for us. We have many things we can learn from them, he said.

The Cuban table tennis national team resumed training in September after an 18-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its members are 18-year-old Adrian Perez, who will take part in a tournament in Venezuela in the coming weeks.

“I’m back in the game trying to get in good shape,” he said. “We want to be part of the rise of table tennis on the island.”

In recent years, Cuban table tennis players have excelled at the 2018 Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games and the Lima 2019 Pan American Games.

In addition, two Cuban table tennis players made it to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Yang Longchuan, director of Beijing North Star in Cuba, told Xinhua that the Chinese company has been a partner of the Cuban Institute of Sports, Exercise and Leisure for several years.

“Exporting Cuban athletes to China is meant to improve their skills through face-to-face exchanges with Chinese athletes and thus achieve better results in future competitions,” Yang said.