Former three-time national men’s singles champion Colin France will depart Guyana today for Venezuela where he will compete in the third annual Latin American and Caribbean veteran Masters championships to be held in neighbouring Venezuela.

The championships have attracted players from Peru, Chile, the host country and a few Caribbean countries in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The championships which will be held on the Margarita Island begins today and will end on Monday.

General Secretary of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Godfrey Munroe was upbeat about the participation of France despite him being the only Guyanese attending the championship.

“Basically it is the first time that we will be having any representation at these championships and if Colin does well it could serve as an impetus for the sport here,” Munroe said.

“It is also a good way to promote healthy lifestyle by having veteran players remain active and competitive.”

France himself was optimistic of his chances of doing well. He told Stabroek Sport that he had been training for over two months for the tournament.

His training, he said, involved the use of a table tennis robot and France said he expected to do well.

He said he would be competing in the 40-49 and 50-59 age singles events.

He also said he would try to see if he would be able to find a partner to compete in the doubles.

Meanwhile Munroe said the annual general meeting of the GTTA will be held on November 17 while the Dennis Patterson memorial tournament is set to start on Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.