TERENGGANU-BORN Lim You Jing has only one dream – to make his home state love ping pong as much as he does.

The former table tennis athlete will open an academy in Pasir Panjang next month, after enjoying a career as an international player a decade ago.

His sports journey took him to Australia, where he joined the Rockhampton Club and represented Queensland.

Lim, 38, managed a table tennis academy with Oh Nam Hoo, who coached the Australian national junior team, 10 years ago. Lim was assistant coach.

But his career was cut short in 2014, when he had to return to his hometown and run his family’s resort on Pulau Redang.

Six years later, the family business had to shut shop due to pandemic-induced lockdowns, but Lim had reignited his passion for ping pong.

“That was when the idea came to me – opening an Olympic-standard table tennis academy in Terengganu,” Lim told The Malaysian Insight.

“It is something that I have always wanted to do, but I was too focused on running the resort.

“It took the movement control order to make me realise that I could not depend on only the tourism business.”

Lim is confident in accomplishing his goal, especially as he has access to sports academies in Australia.

The Nittaku Ping Pong Academy will open its doors to the public next month.

The facility will have Olympic-standard infrastructure, including Taraflex sports flooring and anti-glare lighting.

Lim said he wants “to start a ping pong revival in Malaysia, especially in Terengganu”.

“We do not any professional in this sport from Terengganu.

“Even if there is a person with potential, they have to train or join competitions in Kuala Lumpur.”

He wants to change the perception that table tennis is a “lesser” sport compared with badminton or football.

“It can be lucrative for professional players.”

Lim said those who join his academy can get a chance to play for overseas clubs.

Lim has good ties with players in South Korea, and plans for Nittaku to collaborate with academies and schools in the East Asian nation.

South Korean table tennis athlete Joo Sae-hyuk attended the launch of the academy last month.

Joo won a silver in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Lim also dismissed the perception that ping pong is a Chinese-only sport.

“No race owns any sport. All kinds of nationalities play table tennis at the international level.

“In fact, in Malaysia, one of our best players is Muhamad Ashraf Haiqal Rizal.” – June 5, 2022.