Fresh outlook and ambition: developing tennis in Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea is set to become one of the latest nations to introduce the ITF Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) in a bid to promote the playing of tennis across the country.
The JTI is a key part of a National Association’s development pathway for players aged 14 and under, and provides opportunities for children to pick up a racket for the first time.
The programme is often the launch point for aspiring competitive players and a platform to introduce talent to the game.
Having encouraged children to enjoy the sport in locally organised competitions and sessions within schools, the community and tennis venues, the better players can then be fed into international competition.
There are currently 139 nations around the world with an active JTI (in 2023, 286,283 children were introduced to tennis by the JTI), with Equatorial Guinea keen to follow suit and introduce the programme.
With support from the ITF, the plan is for the JTI to be launched in Equatorial Guinea in 2025. This is just one part of the step change being witnessed there following a period of inactivity with regard to tennis development.
“The project to set up the JTI in Equatorial Guinea will not only promote the practice of tennis, but also the direction of talent within the country,” said Thierry Ntwali, the ITF’s Development Officer for East & Central Africa.
“We believe it is essential to focus on the training of players in the 10, 12 and 14-and-under age categories and this development programme is the most suitable to help promote grassroots tennis and the training of the future elite.
“This will be achieved through effective scouting and a consistent training programme, reflecting the fact that the JTI is one of the key pillars of the ITF’s global development programme.”
The rebirth of tennis development in Equatorial Guinea is being spearheaded by Juan Mondjeli Ikaka, who was elected President of Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis in 2022, and his board. The JTI is viewed as highly significant in their quest to grow the sport.
A JTI National Coordinator, Jose Maria Moronga Mambo, was appointed in June and it is estimated that once up and running hundreds of children from across the nation will be introduced to tennis.
The ITF will support Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis and contribute to the founding of the JTI through the provision of new equipment.
The establishment of the JTI was just one topic discussed during Ntwali’s recent visit to Equatorial Guinea where he assessed the potential of Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis and considered areas for improvement.
Conversations took place on the subjects of Equatorial Guinea hosting national competitions, staging qualification for this year’s Central African Team Championships for players aged 12 and under that is set to take place in August and the wider matter of education – specifically, the ITF Academy.
In addition, the ITF firmly believes in the provision of tennis-playing facilities and operates the ITF Facility Grants Programme so member nations can apply for funding in order to establish, repair or expand facilities.
This may be particularly relevant to Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis as the National Association would like to increase the number of tennis courts in the Stadium Federation Centre from four to six.
“This increase in courts will benefit not only Equatorial Guinea, but the whole Central African region,” added Ntwali.
“This would enable Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis to organise sub-regional competitions and offer the tennis community an infrastructure that meets all expectations.”
To kickstart the next step of the process, the National Association has been advised to provide a full project proposal, cost projections, the amount of necessary subsidy, quotations for the work and estimated start and completion dates.
The issue of funding support was also raised by Ntwali during a meeting with Patricio Bakale Mba, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Youth and Sports, as future tennis development programmes were discussed in detail.
“The Minister informed me of the Ministry’s vocation to support tennis,” said Ntwali. “He added that it was also important to continue to train younger people at school level to make them responsible adult citizens.
“I concluded the meeting by calling on him to give better support to Federación Ecuatoguineana de Tenis and the infrastructure projects that require significant financial support from the government.”
The ITF’s mission is to develop and promote tennis in every corner of the world. Equatorial Guinea is just one example of a nation with fresh ambition for the future and aspirations to grow the sport, contributing to its continued success.