The Ong Ping pour Tous with the Urban Commune of Antananarivo continued its mission, that of using table tennis in the service of development and education. To close the 2022-2023 school year, an inter-establishment tournament between six EPPs (Ambohipo, Vohibola, Soamandrakizay, Andrefanambohijanahary, Ivandry, Ambatolampy Tsimahafotsy) from the capital’s districts took place last Thursday at the Ivandry EPP, to end the school year on a high note. The tournament was open to eighth-grade schoolchildren. Of the 26 participating schoolchildren, including 13 girls and 13 boys, Andy from the EPP of Soamandrakizay won the title of the first edition, followed by Fitahiana from the EPP of Andrefan ‘Ambohijanahary in second position and Fenosoa from the EPP Ivandry in third position. Through the education component, the Ong Ping Pour Tous aims to allow the target children of the Ong’s program to access quality education by practicing sport in order to have a healthy body and mind at the same time.
Periodic training
Dorat Rakotoarisoa, president of the NGO Ping Pour Tous, explained that “through table tennis, we are transmitting civic values to them, bringing them together around a fun and sporting activity, making them aware of living together, awakening and academic success. For the development of these young people in the discipline of table tennis, periodic training each week has been provided with the provision of all the equipment necessary by us”. And Dorat Rakotoarisoa to continue: “the objective is that after leaving the EPP, the schoolchildren benefiting from the program can flourish and land in clubs to continue to go further as possible. In case there is no club capable of hosting them, we invite the Fokontany to create clubs to accommodate them,” he concludes.