The Vanuatu Paralympic Committee (VPC) handed over another Table Tennis Table to Wan Smol Bag (WSB) to support the growing WSB table tennis programme.
Margaret Macfarlane President of VPC said, “We are very fortunate to have had a donation of 10 tables through the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). We know that Wan Smol Bag has a very strong inclusion programme and that the table will be well used and cared for. We are already starting to plan for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. We would like to establish an emerging young para table tennis group at Wan Smol Bag and hope to have discussions on how to fund bus fares to bring young people living with a disability to the WSB Centre to learn to play.”
Mary Estelle Mahuk, VPC’s Program Manager said, “We have two of Vanuatu’s top table tennis players – Yoshua Shing and Randy Benjamin – as coaches for the Smash Down Barriers Programme. They are already going out to schools like PVIS, an elite program at Korman on Saturday mornings and Vanuatu Society for People with Disability for regular, free coaching sessions.”
The VPC is working with Oceania Table Tennis and the International Table Tennis Federation to run the Smash Down Barriers Programme in Vanuatu. The Smash Down Barriers Programme has been receiving support from the Australian Government funded Pacific Sports Partnerships.
If you know a young person living with a disability, especially those in a wheelchair, encourage them to come along to Wan Smol Bag or VSPD – to meet new friends, learn a new sport, become more fit and healthy and perhaps one day, wear our Vanuatu colours at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Photo supplied Caption: Vanuatu Paralympic Committee hands over the table tennis table to Wan Smol Bag