Doan Kien Quoc Table-tennis Club has just been formed at Phuoc Tien Primary School (Nha Trang City). This is the place where the one-time athlete, who attended Athens Olympics 2004 and Beijing Olympics 2008, train young players for Khanh Hoa table-tennis.
Doan Kien Quoc Table-tennis Club has just been formed at Phuoc Tien Primary School (Nha Trang City). This is the place where the one-time athlete, who attended Athens Olympics 2004 and Beijing Olympics 2008, train young players for Khanh Hoa table-tennis.
While there has been much attention on the school sports movement, the fact that a famous player like Doan Kien Quoc, who won eight national championships, establishes his own club promises to create many positive effects for table-tennis in particular and sports in general.
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| Table-tennis veteran Doan Kien Quoc (left) practicing at the club. |
It is rare to see a one-time table-tennis star to open a table-tennis club. “I wish to maintain and develop table-tennis movement which have not well developed in Khanh Hoa as well as discover and offer training program to young players. There were many elements contributing to my achievements; however, one of the most important ones was that I was born in a family which has many members loving table-tennis so I could be trained at an early age,” said Kien Quoc. It may be the reason why Doan Kien Quoc wants to train elementary pupils and chose a primary school to open his club.
The club opens from 6:30pm to 7:30pm every day and whole day on the weekend. At present, there are nearly 20 regular members practicing at the club. The recruitment has still been in progress. Quoc’s younger brother, Doan Trong Nghia, and Khanh Hoa’s former table-tennis athlete, Nguyen Trung Cuong, will also take part in the training coach.
According to Quoc, table-tennis requires a long-term training course to gain achievements. A person does not need many skills in order to play table-tennis. However, it may cost a player from four to five years to get an advanced level and even tens of years to become professional. Therefore, it is necessary for a person loving table-tennis to be trained at an early age.
Reportedly, pupils of Phuoc Tien Primary School who want to learn table-tennis at Quoc’s club are offered a discount on tuition fees by 50% (two sessions per week). The practicers who show the skills in table-tennis will be selected to join the provincial gifted team.
Quoc hopes that his model of table-tennis club at school will be developed in the future. He also wishes to discover gifted players who can be trained to become competent and successful athletes.
H.N
