Opinion – Edgard Alves: Hoyama leaves the coach of the national team to be a table tennis ambassador

“I am very happy with this new challenge”. Hugo Hoyama’s expression, at the age of 52, clearly defines the spirit of his life so far.

After a successful career as an athlete and the last eight years as coach of the Brazilian women’s team, he is taking on a new role: that of national table tennis ambassador, a kind of representative of the sport.

In short, he exchanges the game’s disputes for acting in events, detecting talent and actions to expand the sport that is his passion. This is not just a personal decision, it is a project shared by the Brazilian Table Tennis Confederation.

Along with the other confederation technicians, the new work started on Monday (8) and runs until the 13th with an action for national detection of talents, of young people from 6 to 13 years old, carried out in the facilities of the Paralympic Center, in São Bernardo do Campo, coincidentally the city where he emerged for table tennis, defending the colors of the local Palestra.

Hoyama tired a little of the countless trips as an athlete and as a coach for training and competitions abroad. It is interesting to remember that he embarked on long periods of preparation in European and Asian countries.

To give you an idea, Hoyama spent nine months as an intern in Japan, training at Nihon Daigaku University. Then he was in Sweden, where he played for Ranas BTK from 1992 to 1994 and also had spells at Pantheon in Belgium and, again in Sweden, at Falkenberg.

This was all just the beginning. He didn’t stop anymore, he packed a lot of bags. Simultaneously, in specific periods, he participated in numerous commitments with the Brazilian team.

Hugo Hoyama’s initiation into table tennis happened very early, at the age of seven. Ten years later he was called up for the first time for the Brazilian team. He played in six Olympic Games, from Barcelona-1992 to London-2012.

The greatest moments of his career occurred in the seven Pan American Games he participated, from Indianapolis-1987 to Guadalajara-2011. He had brilliant performances at the Pan, winning 15 medals: 10 golds, 1 silver and 4 bronzes.

The nearly four decades spent in table tennis so far have provided experience for the new role. He himself says that the stage was rewarding and learning.

That’s why he thanks the Brazilian confederation’s invitation for the support of his performance, as well as the support of Jean-René (consultant and former coach of the men’s national team) and the coaches who worked with him, and which he makes a point of mentioning, in a release released by CBTM: Paco, Lincon Yasuda, Hideo Yamamoto. Says everyone helped him grow.

Eight years ago, he took the first major turn in his career by taking charge of the adult women’s team, but he continued to work as an athlete as well. The selection of women grew during the period. He moved up to the First Division of the Worlds and there he remains.

He cites this evolution praising the support of table tennis players Ligia Silva (currently in the youth team, as a coach) and Gui Lin (retired from the team), who worked with him. Athletes Bruna Takahashi and Carol Kumahara also contributed.

Now, Hoyama has a special reason to change his career in the sport again: he wants to be a little closer to his family, his daughter Ariel, 4, and his wife Cindy, to whom he has been married for 7 years.

The table tennis confederation will wait some more time to announce Hoyama’s replacement in the national team. It should happen quickly, as the Olympic cycle for Paris-2024 is short and the integration of the athletes and the coaching staff depends on a lot of observation.

The women’s team wants to get closer to the men’s team, improve their technical level and, consequently, improve their results. It’s not easy, as table tennis requires a lot of psychological activity, physical preparation and dexterity. These are conditions that require time and specific and intense work.