A tennis team from Nauru is currently in Kiribati to participate in the Independence tennis tournament this week.
The team is made up of 30 people, 21of which are young children ranging from 16 to 8 years of age, nine adults and two coaches.
Vice President of the Nauru Tennis Association (NTA) John Tannang told Radio Kiribati News they’ve been invited by the Kiribati Tennis Federation (KTF) to participate in the tournament.
“We’re here on the invitation by the Kiribati Tennis Federation to take part in the Kiribati Independence tennis tournament and are happy and honored to be a part of the Nauru and Kiribati ‘utu’ family, “said Mr Tannang.
“We’re a family. We’re very close and we’re very similar so tennis has brought us together and we look at this as more deeper than tennis culture and friendship and so we’re going to come again next year because it’s worthy because these children and parents and as I say the culture and friendship is very important especially in hard times in the world now, we should get together and get very closer especially the Pacific Islands.”
Radio Kiribati reports the team is being hosted by KTF who also organises accommodation for the team in Bairiki which provides them with easier access to the Bairiki Tennis Courts.
According to John Tannang, the NTA, still in its development stages, with new executive members who have agreed to concentrate their training activities and programmes on the young or junior players of Nauru.
“We’re just starting up and now it’s a good start for us and we’ll concentrate on our juniors”.
“We asked our closest neighbors, Kiribati and Marshall Islands for networking and Kiribati came onboard very very early and so so far we’ve developed a very good friendship with KTF and it’s looking good because it will help Nauru tennis develop”.
Photo by BPA: Nauru tennis team in Kiribati
