Hiten Shukla
Intro: Torawane, Sangtani retained as Chairman and Secretary in the AGM held on virtual platform
Gandhidham, Nov 9 : Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) unanimously re-elected Shri Vipul Mittra, IAS as the president of the association for the four year (2020-2024) term during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on virtual platform (Zoom) on November 8, 2020. The House unitedly named Shri Milind Torawane, IAS and Shri Haresh Sangtani as the Chairman and Secretary of GSTTA.
Owing to pandemic Covid19 situation, a virtual AGM was held with 30 GSTTA and District Association officials joining the meeting, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) officials Shri MP Singh, Secretary General, Shri Arun Banerjee, Treasurer and Shri Dhanraj Chaudhary, Advisor, were also present in the meeting. Indian Olympic Association Vice-President Shri Virendra Nanavati was the special invitee.
The meeting commenced with members observing a two-minute silence in the memory of Dilipbhai Shah, joint secretary GSTTA and SM Sultan, V-P TTFI, who lost their battle to Covid19.
The house also unanimously re-elected Shri Pramod Chaudhary (Surat) and Shri Nisheeth Mehta (Bhavnagar) as the Senior Vice-Presidents of the state association, Shri Pradeep Chudasama (Ahmedabad), Shri Kanti Bhuva (Anand) and Smt Jayaben Thakkar (Baroda) are the new Vice-Presidents. Shri Amit Choksi (Surat) and Shri Rujul Patel (Aravalli) will continue as Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer respectively.
Three out of four joint secretaries will have new faces. Rishi Sharma (Anand), Hiren Mehta (Rajkot) and Kushal Sangtani (Ahmedabad) will join Kalpesh Thakkar (Baroda) as joint secretaries.
In his opening remarks, Shri Mittra, IAS, praised the GSTTA officials for their hard work in 2019 when Bhavnagar successfully organised the National Ranking (Central Zone) tournament. He also talked about the unprecedented Covid19 situation which derailed plans and dashed dreams of many, However, staying optimistic Shri Mittra, said, “We are among the best Associations of the country. Even in Covid19 with the help of technology we managed to keep players and coaches active.”
Referring to Gujarat Super League, GSTTA President said it will be on the top of the agenda next year when the situation gets normal. “Once the situation normalises, the time is going to be vital. We need to organise the League, which promises to help our players. Besides, district associations need to get active and organise tournaments at local level to encourage players to return to tables.”
Shri MP Singh, Secretary General TTFI, was impressed with the unity displayed by the Association in electing the office bearers. “Under the leadership of Mittraji the association is doing a great job. Players are shining at international level and officials are elected unanimously,” said Singh.
IOA Vice-President Shri Virendra Nanavati too praised GSTTA efforts, while referring to Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah. He promised to help GSTTA get the Gujarat Olympic Association’s (GOA) membership.
Shri Dhanraj Choudhary, Advisor TTFI termed GSTTA as an important organ of the Federation. “In recent years, GSTTA has successfully organised Commonwealth TT Championships and Asian TT Championships, which clearly reflects the dynamic leadership. The strategic planning and implementation has resulted in emergence of top players like Harmeet, Manav and Manush, who are going to be vital in TTFI’s 2024-2028 Olympic Medal program. Manika Batra winning the Khel Ratna Award has certainly boosted the fraternity with the sport getting recognition,” said Choudhary.
On a concluding note, Shri Mittra said after talking to district associations and consulting sports secretary, decision of restarting of state level camps and tournaments will be taken.
