20th August 2022
On August 20th, many government officials and local community leaders attended Recognition Award Ceremony in the Town of Oakville to celebrate the Oakville table tennis team's outstanding achievements in the 2022 Canadian National Table Tennis Championships.
Thirteen young players from Oakville, all members of the local Three10 Table Tennis Club represented Team Ontario at the 2022 Canadian National Table Tennis Championships. They brought back ten medals, including two Golds, four Silvers, and four Bronzes!
The Award Ceremony has surpassed the expectations of the organizer (Oakville Community Table Tennis Association-OCTTA). More than 60 guests attended the Award Ceremony, including the Honorable Victor Oh, Senator; the delegation from the Mayor office, Town and Regional councillors, as well as many leaders from the local business associations.
Senator Oh opened the ceremony with a warm speech recognizing the young athletes and their families for continuous efforts and dedication to table tennis. He congratulated the players for representing Team Ontario at the 2022 Canadian National Table Tennis Championships. Senator Oh, also recognized OCTTA's commitment to encouraging and supporting community's youth active and healthy lifestyle as well as teaching them the essential values of sportsmanship and camaraderie. Senator Oh delivered his message to the attendees in both English and Mandarin.
Councillor Beth Robertson, Mayor’s delegate, also recognized the athletes' achievements and provided encouragement for their upcoming national and international competitions, followed by the praise of OCTTA's work on establishing a platform to support local sports teams. Councillor Tom Adams encouraged all attendees to recognize the importance of supporting local associations and sports teams, growing the awareness of table tennis sport, as well as, helping to locate suitable facilities to grow the sport in the communities. The co-founder and vice-chair of OCTTA presented the associations’ vision, achievements and challenges to the guests. She ended the presentation with an action calling for all local community leaders and officials to support the team and association, including finding a long-term suitable training location in Oakville.
The Award Ceremony also included interactive activities such as Table Tennis Facts and a demo from the team's youngest players (9 years old). The guests also enjoyed table tennis play at the end of the ceremony.
The day of the Award Ceremony was a great example of how local non-profit associations and various levels of government can work together to build initiatives with lasting power to support local youth leaders and community developments.
OCTTA (octtacanada.org): is a newly formed non-profit organization co-founded by Oakville residents who are passionate about table tennis and community development. OCTTA has a vision and mission to promote the sport of Table Tennis in Canada by providing a platform to develop outstanding youth athletes and to serve the local communities.
OCTTA collaborates with Three 10 Table Tennis Club in the area of professional and competition level training. The Three 10 Table Tennis Club was established by coach Raymond Zhang, who led the Oakville’s Three10 Table Tennis team that represented Team Ontario in the 2022 Canadian National Championships.
