Numbers don't lie. Neither, however, do they tell the whole story. Six is the number of years since the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) founded a program called "Smash Down Barriers" in Oceania. Nine is the number of countries which have participated in the program, namely, Indonesia, Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga and New Zealand. 4,000 is the number of para table tennis players who have participated in the program. While certain aspects of the initiative are quantifiable, testimonials from the participants consistently point toward incalculable dividends. "That moment for that winning point, exactly, it's unexplainable," explains Norby Ocampo of Guam. "It was just happy because you work hard for it, and then hitting it in a very special time, like winning time, it's just like, I'm very happy." Jope Ralulu Kikau of Fiji paints a similar picture. "That's the best feeling ever, during a game when you hit that right where you want it, it just makes you happy," he beams. "It puts a big smile on your face." As in societies around the world, persons with disabilities face discrimination in Oceania. According to ITTF Oceania Para Development Officer Christian Holz, "In Fiji, there’s a social stigma associated with having a disability." The Smash Down Barriers program then represents not only an opportunity for personal growth, but also for advancing societal views of disability. "They might come into table tennis as just a sport, but it becomes a bigger part of their lives," says Australian para table tennis coach Alois Rosario. "It becomes their social social structure, it helps them with a whole lot of different areas of their living, and it really becomes a way of life for them." Fijian para table tennis player Mere Roden describes her experience in the program as life-changing. "So much has happened since being part of this Smash Down Barriers," she says. "I got to travel. My first international tournament was in Australia last year. I've gone so far as China, Hong Kong, even to the Paralympics." Iakoba Taberanibou, also of Fiji, describes a harrowing journey from depression and self-isolation to being the pride of his family. "I compete with the toughest players in the Oceania, in front of my family," he says. "Feelings, there are no words for what the feeling is. Believe in yourself. If I can do it, you can do it!" Numbers can never tell the whole story, but it is evident that the incidence of smashing is inversely proportional to the prevalence of barriers. Count on it.
