Accra: Augustina Baidoo emerged as the winner of the 2026 Sheroes Ghana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) Championship after a thrilling display of skill and resilience. Baidoo, who previously won the 2023 edition, defeated Eva Adom-Amankwa in a keenly contested grand finale. Cynthia Kwabi and Joanita Borteye shared third position.
According to Ghana News Agency, Baidoo expressed gratitude to God and the GTTA for organizing the tournament. She stated, "I thank the Almighty God for making me win this game again. I was the champion in 2023, and in 2026 I won again." She also appealed for more sponsorship for the association to enable it to organize more competitions and improve standards, adding that she was preparing for the Table Tennis World Cup.
Baidoo explained that she had trained intensively in anticipation of the championship, especially after its earlier postponement, as she was determined to defend her title. She said, "I trained very hard because the association was supposed to organize this competition long ago, but it was postponed. I wanted to defend my title, and I thank my brother for training me." Recounting her matches, Baidoo said she had to push beyond her limits after noticing a lapse in concentration from her opponent following an early 2-0 defeat, despite experiencing low energy in the semi-finals.
Mr. Charles Takyi Mensah, Technical Director of the GTTA, described the Sheroes Championship as an International Table Tennis (ITT) program designed to encourage more women to take up the sport. "Sheroes is an event for women. The whole idea is to encourage ladies to get involved in table tennis," he explained. He said the success of the championship showed the need to replicate similar programs nationwide, especially as Ghana prepared for upcoming world championships.
Mr. Mensah identified funding as a major challenge and appealed to corporate bodies and the government to support the development of table tennis in the country. "The only issue we are having now is funding. We appeal to corporate bodies, especially the government, to look at table tennis and see what they can do for us," he said. Despite limited resources, the standard of play at the championship was high and comparable to international levels. "Today's performance was of a very high standard; we can match any country if we continue training and get the needed support," he added.