Namibia set for historic Commonwealth Table Tennis debut in Delhi
The 2026 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships get underway today in New Delhi, India, with Namibia set to make history by competing in the prestigious tournament for the first time.
The championships, taking place at the Thyagraj Stadium from 27 July to 2 August, have attracted players from more than 35 Commonwealth nations. The event returns for the first time since 2019 and is being held alongside the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where table tennis is not part of the official programme.
Namibia will be represented by Cadence Farmer, Caden Bosman and Wayne Green, accompanied by Namibia Table Tennis Association (NTTA) president Rudi Sauderson.
The Namibia National Olympic Committee (NNOC) wished the team well ahead of the tournament, congratulating the players and officials on their selection to represent the country on the international stage.
Sauderson described the tournament as a landmark occasion for Namibian table tennis.
"This is a big one. It is the first time that the NTTA will ever participate in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships and it's taking place in Delhi," he said.
He added that competing against some of the world's top players would provide invaluable experience for the Namibian squad.
"All the big guns will be there and I'm looking forward to all the exposure that we will get. It is an opportunity to see how other countries play, gain experience and learn from the best."
The players are equally excited about the challenge awaiting them in India.
"We're definitely looking forward to the competition in New Delhi, but more than that, we're also looking forward to the experience," one of the team members said.
"We'll be playing against athletes from across the Commonwealth, including players that most of us have only watched on television. Now we have the opportunity to compete against them."
The host nation, India, heads into the championships with a formidable squad featuring Olympians Sreeja Akula, G Sathiyan, Manav Thakkar and Harmeet Desai. Defending men's singles champion Harmeet Desai returns alongside Manush Shah, who forms one of the world's top-ranked men's doubles partnerships with Thakkar.
For Namibia, the championships represent more than just results. The tournament offers a valuable opportunity to test themselves against elite opposition, gain international exposure and continue the development of the sport as the country makes its debut on one of the Commonwealth's biggest table tennis stages.
