10 Nov 2026

Rising table tennis star, Boitlamo Nkele stole the spotlight at the 11th edition of Dithubaruba Table Tennis Club (DTTC) Open Tournament after claiming the ladies’ singles title in a competition that attracted 90 players from different clubs.

Nkele, a junior and senior national team player from the Bontleng/Ithuteng project, defeated former number one-ranked player, Tshepiso Rebatenne of Nhabe Table Tennis Club 3-1 in the final to secure gold, a trophy and P2,000 in prize money.

The tournament, organised by Dithubaruba Table Tennis Club in partnership with Boitekanelo College and under the tutelage of Botswana Table Tennis Association, also attracted international participation, with a junior player from Namibia and a senior competitor from Nigeria among the entrants.

Meanwhile, in the ladies’ singles category, Nkele led the charge as players from the Bontleng/Ithuteng Project dominated, collecting three of the four available medals.

In other categories, Ghayouri Kamrouz of Namibia won the Under-19 boys’ title, while Carol David of Bontleng/Ithuteng emerged victorious in the Under-19 girls’category.

Tshireletso Samuel of BDF Table Tennis Club claimed the men’s singles title, while the mixed doubles gold medal went to Samuel and his partner Sibongile Six, also representing BDF.

Speaking in an interview, tournament director and DTTC team manager, Zacharia Seabo said the competition recorded an encouraging increase in registrations, particularly in the men’s category.

Seabo said the introduction of mixed doubles was another significant development, noting that the category was rarely played locally despite being part of international competitions.

He explained that the initiative was intended to expose local players, particularly those in the national team, to the demands of mixed doubles competitions at international level.

Seabo further said the tournament provided national team players with valuable preparation ahead of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contenders competitions.

“The participation of international players, particularly in the junior boys’ category, gave our national team players a taste of the competition they can expect at the WTT events,” he said.

 

Seabo said the tournament’s broader mandate was to promote table tennis beyond Gaborone and make the sport more accessible to players and supporters in the Kweneng region.

“As a Molepolole-based club, our objective is to spread table tennis beyond Gaborone and create opportunities for players in our catchment area to participate in the sport,” he said.

However, he expressed concern over the limited participation of young players, attributing the challenge partly to the collapse of school sports.

He observed that junior competitions continue to attract largely familiar faces, predominantly from Bontleng/Ithuteng, Maikano and Smash Maniacs Table Tennis Club.

Seabo also highlighted financial constraints as a major obstacle, explaining that organising tournaments require substantial resources, which the club largely had to source independently.

“Hosting such a tournament is costly, and without financial assistance from companies or organisations, it becomes difficult for the club to sustain these competitions,” he said. ENDS