Race to Olympics: Tennis team heads to Doha for qualifiers

The National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) on Wednesday flagged off the national table tennis team that will be participating in the final trials for the Tokyo Olympics slated for March 11-18 in Doha, Qatar.

The team of four players that has been in a non-residential camp at the Goan Institute since last month is set to jet out to the Qatari capital later on Wednesday evening.

Brian Mutua who is a scholarship athlete under Olympics Kenya leads a team of four players to represent the country in the seven-day event.

The team of two men and two ladies also include Josiah wandera, Doreen Juma & Lydia Setey. They will be accompanied by coaches Anthony Ringui and Mohammed Salat, with head of delegation being James Oronge.

NOC-K treasurer Eliud Kariuki and Executive Member Winnie Kamau wished the team success in the tourney earlier today when they handed them kits at the Goan Institute.

Kamau will be part of the delegation to represent Olympics Kenya as part of the team to review and assess the progress of the team in qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Ahead of the week-long tournament, the players have exuded confidence as they hunt for slots to the Summer Games.

“We are going to meet international players. We have watched their clips and how they train. We know the kind of competition to expect, and it will all boil down to the day of the match; how mentally and physically prepared you are, and what you can do on that table as per the coach’s instructions,” said Wandera.