Two weeks from now and the table tennis community in Negros Occidental would have been abuzz with preparations for the 6th edition of the Governor’s Cup Invitational Table Tennis Tournament.
The man who initiated the tournament, just like with the other table tennis competitions he launched and sustained through the years, would have been hands-on from organizing the event to sending out results to media partners.
But there will be no post-Christmas table tennis tournament this year. Sports competitions remain restricted and Leonito “Diotay” Lopue, the man who started it all and the acknowledged godfather of the sport in the province, is now gone.
Diotay, as this side of the table tennis world calls him, passed away on Dec. 5 at St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City in Taguig after several years of battling prostate cancer.
“His love for ping pong is admirable. He almost singlehandedly promoted and sustained the sport in the province. He opened opportunities for young Negrosanon ping pong athletes with some of them becoming national players,” NOPSSCEA Sports Committee chairman Dr. Carlitos Orola said.
As a table tennis player himself, Orola said the late Lopue was one of the best players he played with.
“Diotay was a legend. His table tennis skills were outstanding and he was very analytical. And he loved to share his analysis with his rivals. He wanted to see every player improves his or her craft,” Orola said.
“You can’t help but admire and respect Diotay for everything that he did for table tennis in the province. He made it possible for top players in the country to compete in Bacolod during the annual Invitational Open tournament,” he added.
“Diotay’s death is a big loss for Negros and especially for Bacolaudiat, which he successfully headed for many years. He was also the Chairman for the Handumanan Science Foundation that helps so many student scholars in La Salle,” former Bacolod congressman and mayor Monico Puentevella said.
“But another big loss is his leadership for table tennis in the province. Many players in the national team today who even played in the last SEA Games come from Negros. They were products of his exemplary support and guidance all these years,” Puentevella added.
Lopue pursued and worked hard to cultivate table tennis talents from the grassroots. His legacy for the sport will live on through the young players of LOPTTA (Lopue’s Table Tennis Association), who share his passion and love for the sport. – NAB
