France-based professionals Dexter St Louis and Rheann Chung leave tomorrow for Paraguay, where they will compete in the Latin American Top 12 table tennis tournament.
The Top 12 serves off on Friday and concludes on Sunday.
St Louis told the Express that the Ministry of Sport facilitated their participation in the prestigious tournament.
“Again I want to say special thanks to Anil Roberts and his ministry for assisting us, as he has always done, by providing the airline tickets. He has been really good to us, and I thank him for that.
“My teammate and (2011) Pan Am Games gold medallist, (Argentine) Liu Song, is going to Paraguay also. The competition is really tough because the winner qualifies for the next World Cup.”
After Paraguay, St Louis and Chung will step up their preparations for the July 23-August 3 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
“Our next stop is at the Heritage Oil Open in Sussex, London (England), where all expenses are paid for by the organisers for both of us,” St Louis explained.
One of the all-time greats in the sport was among the players listed to compete in Sussex.
“(Sweden’s) Jan Ove Waldner was supposed to be playing, but I understand he is not coming because of some appearance fee issues. However, many of the players who are participating in the Commonwealth Games will be there. Then there is Commonwealth Games. Since last year September, after every training session—and believe me it’s ten per week—my mind is on these Games. I think a medal is difficult, but I have the level to stand up to the best in the Commonwealth. If not, I will stay home and go on vacation in Nice with my family.”
St Louis is a five-time Caribbean men’s singles champion, while Chung has won the Caribbean women’s singles title on five occasions.