China displayed dominance at the Volkswagen China vs. World, Team Challenge; however, there were signs of a gradual shift in power as the women’s title for the first time in since the start of this spectacular showcase of table tennis goes to the world team.

Men’s Challenge Match

Representing the host nation, Ma Lin, Ma Long and Xu Xin overcame the trio of Timo Boll, Joo Se Hyuk and Jun Mizutani to win the Men’s event at the Volkswagen 2011 China Versus World Team Challenge on Saturday 25th June 2011.

Ma Long gave the champions elect the perfect start by beating Jun Mizutani.

Timo Boll then leveled matters by overcoming Xu Xin before China assumed control.

However, this was the end of the World Team’s success.

Ma Lin overpowered Joo Se Hyuk in four games before Ma Long and Xu Xin brought matters to an end in a most impressive manner. In three straight games Ma Long beat Timo Boll and Xu Xin defeated Jun Mizutani.

Results:

China 4 - 1 World Team

Ma Long bt. Jun Mizutani: (3-0) 12-10, 11-9, 11-4.
Timo Boll bt. Xu Xin: (3-2) 12-10, 4-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3
Ma Lin bt. Joo Se Hyk: (3-1) 11-3, 11-9, 7-11, 11-3
Ma Long bt. Timo Boll: (3-0) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5
Xu Xin bt. Jun Mizutani: (3-0) 11-9, 12-10, 12-10

Women’s Challenge Match

Victory in the Volkswagen 2011 China versus World Team Challenge went to the trio of Feng Tianwei, Kim Kyung Ah and Tie Yana on the afternoon of Friday 24th June 2011.

Thus for the first time in the three year history of the event, the women’s contest was not won by China.

Two wins from Singapore’s Feng Tianwei proved the backbone of success; she beat both Feng Yalan and Guo Yan with the one further success coming from Tie Yana. In the third match of the fixture, she overcame Zhu Yuling.

The two wins for China came in the first and last matches of the contest with Guo Yan and Feng Yalan both defeating Korea’s Kim Kyung Ah.

Results

World Team 3 - 2 China

Guo Yan bt. Kim Kyung Ah: (3-0) 11-8, 11-3, 11-7
Feng Tianwei bt. Feng Yalana: (3-2) 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7
Tie Yana bt. Zhu Yuling: (3-1) 10-12, 12-10, 11-4, 11-8
Feng Tiawei bt. Guo Yan: (3-2) 8-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9
Feng Yalan bt. Kim Kyung Ah (3-0) 11-8, 11-2, 11-7

Boys Challenge Match

Wu Jiaji, 16 years old, overcame Quentin Robinot of France in the curtain raising Boys’ Singles contest at the Volkswagen 2011 China versus World Team Challenge contest in Shanghai on the afternoon of Friday 24th June 2011.

Playing in the event for the second time, he played in 2010; Wu Jiaji recorded a straight games victory. He won 12-10, 12-10, 11-8.

It was an impressive performance by the Chinese teenager who is very much in the mode of Wang Hao; right handed, penhold grip, consistent with his top spin play from both backhand and forehand.

Girls Challenge Match

Zhu Yuling, the winner of the Girls’ Singles event at the Volkswagen World Junior Championships in Bratislava in December 2010, underlined the reason why she is the proud owner of that title; on the afternoon of Saturday 25th June 2011 she underlined the reasons indelibly.

In the Junior Girls’ contest in the Volkswagen 2011 China versus World Team Challenge, the 16 year old never gave Korea’s Yang Ha Eun, a player one year older, time to draw breath.

The Chinese teenager gave a scintillating display to record a three straight games victory.

She won 11-8, 11-6, 11-4; any lose return from the Korean was seized upon like a panther honing in on its prey. Zhu Yuling, at full speed, was too fast for the Korean who one week earlier in Shenzhen had won the Under 21 Women’s Singles title at the Volkswagen China Open.

Source: ittf.com

Dubai: Thursday 17th February 2011

Qualifier Ousts Second Seed in Opening Round

China’s 21 year old WEN Jia caused the biggest shock of the third day’s play, Thursday 17th February 2011, at the United Arab Emirates Open in Dubai by beating Singapore’s second seeded FENG Tianwei. WEN Jia recorded a six games victory (4-11, 1-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, 3-11, 11-3).

WEN Jia who beat FENG Tianwei  Photo By: Atef Alghamery

The Girls’ Singles silver medallist at the World Junior Championships in both 2006 and 2007, WEN Jia has been absent from international table tennis for over a year and thus her world ranking has lapsed.

She was required to negotiate two days of qualification matches; she was beaten in her opening match by Japan’s Hiroko Fujii, progressed to a preliminary round where she narrowly beat Korea’s SEO Hyun Won to qualify for the main draw.

Defeat for the no.2 seed in the Women’s Singles event and there was a scare for the top seed in the second round of the Men’s Singles competition.

China’s MA Long trailed Korea’s 20 year old JEONG Sang Eun 6-9 in the deciding seventh game before winning five points in a row to secure victory.

MA Long won 5-11, 11-7, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 12-14, 11-9.

Otherwise, for the leading players in the Men’s and Women’s Singles events it was a successful day.

In the Women’s Singles competition the Chinese trio of GUO Yan (no.1 seed), LI Xiaoxia (no.3 seed) and GUO Yue (no.4 seed) progressed in style, as did the men who occupy the second to fourth seeded places.

All from China, WANG Hao, MA Lin and ZHANG Jike were never seriously troubled.

Meanwhile, in the Men’s Doubles event, top seeds Singapore’s GAO Ning and YANG Zi fell at the first hurdle losing the partnership of Serbia’s Aleksandar KARAKASEVIC and Bojan TOKIC (11-5, 11-4, 11-7), who proceeded to the semi-finals where they meet fourth seeds, China’s WANG Liqin and XU Xin.

In the counterpart semi-final it is an all Chinese affair; second seeds MA Long and WANG Hao face third seeds MA Lin and ZHANG Jike.

No great problems for the Chinese Men’s Doubles pairings but in the Women’s Doubles there was an unexpected defeat for DING Ning and GUO Yan.

They suffered a six games defeat (5-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, 2-11, 11-7) at the hands of Korea’s LEE Eun Hee and PARK Young Sook.

At the semi-final stage they meet compatriots SEOK Ha Jung and YANG Ha Jun, the first round victors (11-8, 11-6, 11-5) over seconds seeds, CHENG I-Ching and HUANG Yi-Hua of Chinese Taipei.

An all Korean semi-final, with the penultimate round match in the opposite half of the draw, being all Chinese; top seeds GUO Yue and LI Xiaoxia meet LIU Shiwen and WEN Jia.

The latter duo caused a quarter-final upset by beating fourth seeds, Hong Kong’s JIANG Huajun and TIE Yana (11-4, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7.

Source: ittf.com

There was a task to be completed and that task was duly completed in as most professional manner.

On home soil, China started as the favourites to win the Men’s Team event at the Asian Games in Guangzhou; on Tuesday 16th November 2010, they duly achieved the goal set and they achieved the goal with stunning efficiency and professionalism.

Earlier in the day, the Chinese trio of Li Xiaoxia, Guo Yan and Guo Yue had beaten Singapore in the Women’s Team final by three matches nil, without even dropping a single game. Against Korea, in the Men’s Team final, their male counterparts did exactly the same.

Selected Experience
Liu Guoliang, the head coach of the Chinese Men’s Team, took no risks; he opted for experience.

There was no place in the line up for 20 year old Xu Xin or 22 year old Zhang Jike. Instead Wang Hao and Ma Lin, both members of the successful Chinese gold medal winning team at the Beijing Olympics, were named to play the first two matches with Ma Long, the current world no.1, fulfilling the number three position.

Perfect Start
Motivated by the occasion and with the tiered seating packed with adoring fans, Wang Hao gave China the perfect start.

Unquestionably the crucial areas of table tennis are service, receive and first attack; in all three departments, Wang Hao was the master. He never allowed Oh Sang Eun to settle into his fluent rhythm; the Korean, like Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, has outstanding skills when the art of blocking is concerned; however, against the likes of Wang Hao that policy does not work.

The topspin play of Wang Hao was ultra consistent, in fact it allowed him to achieve a rhythm; a series of topspin strokes forced errors from the tall Korean.

A straight games victory was recorded and the juggernaut was rolling.

Penetrates Defence
Next into the arena came Ma Lin to face Joo Se Hyuk; the Korean delighted the crowd with his defensive skills but Ma Lin delighted them even more with his dynamite early attacks from the forehand.

Time and again, he directed the forehand attacks towards the backhand of Joo Se Hyuk, the Korean strove valiantly and on occasions took risk in trying to attack but to no avail.

The juggernaut was roiling even faster.

China two matches to nil ahead, Ma Long duly brought matters to a conclusion.

Swift Conclusion
He directed his attacking strokes towards the backhand of Lee Jung Woo with relentless precision, the left handed Korean penholder who is the last the breed using one side of the racket only, was forced into the passive role.

Ma Long won in straight games, Liu Guoliang with his assistants, Qin Zhijian and Wu Jianpeng stood to applaud, alongside Zhang Jike and Xu Xin as Ma Long returned to shake hands with his mentor.

The mission had been completed and completed in devastating style against a high class team, the bronze medallists at the Liebherr World Team Championships in earlier this year in May.

Both the Chinese Men’s Team and the Chinese Women’s Team had been superb, awesome performances.

Result

CHINA 3-0 KOREA
Wang Hao v Oh Sang Eun 11-7, 11-5, 11-8
Ma Lin v Joo Se Hyuk 11-3, 11-7, 11-9
Ma Long v Lee Jung Woo 11-9, 11-6, 11-4

Results and Schedules
Saturday 13th November 2010:
Men’s and Women’s Team Events: Group Stage

Sunday 14th November 2010:
Men’s and Women’s Team Events: Group Stage & Quarter-Finals

Monday 15th November 2010:
Mixed Doubles Round One, Men’s and Women’s Singles Round One, Men’s and Women’s Team Events: Semi-Finals

Tuesday 16th November 2010:
Mixed Doubles Round Two, Men’s Doubles Round Two, Women’s Team Final, Men’s Team Final

Source: ittf.com

Lautoka, the second largest city in the islands and located on the west coast of the principal island of Viti Levu, hosted the course. Scott Houston, the Oceania Development Officer, was the expert on duty.

The course was conducted over an action packed eleven days; in addition to the Fiji Open Championships, an ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course plus Training Sessions for the talented junior athletes were carried out.

Backbone of Programme
The ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course formed the backbone of the programme; the goal of the course was to certify more coaches in the west of Fiji, as there is room for more growth in this region.

Sixteen participants took part in the coaching course, many of whom were from the various schools in the region that cater for students with physical and intellectual disabilities. It is hoped that table tennis can be introduced into these schools, and now the teachers are equipped to start students on their table tennis journey.

Overall Success
The ITTF/PTT Level One Coaches Course was an overall success. Six coaches finished the course at the highest level and once they have finished their coaching hours requirements they will be granted ITTF/PTT Level One status. In addition to this, another six finished with an ITTF Club Coach accreditation and four others finished with a School Teachers accreditation.

With sixteen new coaches in the region it is hoped that table tennis will continue to spread far and wide in the already highly active Fiji. Although table tennis in the capital city of Suva is continually expanding and there are already some commendable activities in Lautoka, some of the other districts of Fiji including Nadi, Ba, and Lami are still in their infancy as table tennis hubs.

Expansion
The highly active President of the Fiji Table Tennis Association, Mr. Anthony Ho, is always looking to expand table tennis throughout Fiji and this coaching course will help this to happen.

Training sessions for the local junior players were also carried out each day. There are already some youngsters from the West of Fiji that have made their way into the Fiji National Junior Teams and it is felt that there is potential for more young players to join them in National colours. With continued and regular structured training their potential can be realised as they reach adulthood.

Very Active
Once again it was another successful Olympic Solidarity Course for Fiji. The Fiji Table Tennis Association is one of the most active in Oceania and they are held in a very high regard within Oceania circles. Their continued improvement over the past nine years under the guidance of Anthony Ho’s leadership is to be commended and they are setting a fine example for others to follow.

Many thanks must be given to the Fiji Amateur Sports Association and National Olympic Committee for allocating an Olympic Solidarity Course for the visit, and also to the Fiji Table Tennis Association and the Lautoka Table Tennis Association for organising and hosting a very fruitful visit.

Source: ittf.com

Main new features include:

• Complete new graphical look
• Dedicated domain (tabletennisshop.com.au) instead of a subdirectory of the reviews site
• Several Items now organised into categories (eg blades sorted into DEF, ALL, OFF, Specialised, Penhold)
• Faster browsing (new server and optimised graphics for speed)
• Added SSL security for all sensitive areas
• Better and more information pages (more to come)
• Much improved search facility

The OOAK shop offer quite a variety equipment, including some less common brands and some hard to find items, so they might be worth checking out.

Swish is played on a table tennis table modified for people who are blind or have low vision. Competitors hit an audible ball by swishing a rectangular paddle along the surface of the table, so that the ball is hit under a raised board rather than over a net.

“Swish is a lightning fast game and there are a lot of similarities between it and table tennis. I thought I’d do some practice on my reaction speed,” said Henzell.

He faced Swish club member Sam Hodson in an exciting exhibition match and was clearly impressed by the speed and skill of his 20-year old opponent.

“Sam was pretty quick and knew how to aim for the corners. I gave him a good run for his money but he was too good in the end.”

“The most astounding part of my visit was realising that people who were blind or had low vision easily followed every point and knew exactly what was happening on the table.”

The game offers much more than an exciting, fast paced activity - it provides a great way for young and old to meet new people and have fun.

Melbourne Swish Club President Michael Fogarty hopes to grow participation among both sighted and vision impaired competitors.

He is impressed with the growth and development of the club juniors and is always on the lookout for new talent.

“Some kids could hardly hit the ball past the net, now some can hit as hard as I can. I’m scared of them!”

Dual Olympian Henzell, who won silver in the Men’s Singles at the 2006 CommonwealthGames, is confident heading into the 2010 Games.

“We’ve got a strong team and definitely have very good medal chances in all events. I was just a few points off the gold in Melbourne and have all the motivation in the world to go one better.”

Swish sessions are held at Vision Australia centres in Kooyong, Brisbane and Bendigo. Spectators, umpires and participants are always welcome. Contact Michael on 0409 182 035.

He is a professional motorcycle road racer.

In 2006 and 2007 he was crowned 2006 and 2007 World Champion in the 250cc category and currently he heads the MotoGP Class for the Factory Yamaha Team, having one year ago finished in runners up spot behind the celebrated Valentino Rossi.

Jorge Lorenzo enthusiastic about table tennis  Photo By: Photo courtesy of Joan Barbera

Recently, he tried his hand at another sport that demands the quick reactions of a motorcycle road racer and speed of a different nature. No, not cricket! He played table tennis.

Visited Orphanage
He visited the children of the Sant Josep de la Muntanya Orphanage in Barcelona, an organisation that has just received a table tennis table, four rackets and balls from “Club Falcons Sabadell”.

The club is very successful, especially the table tennis section, which has won a host of titles under the leadership of Pere Weisz, former Spanish Champion and he is seeking to win the Super Division of the Spanish League in the 2010-2011 season.

Table Tennis Demonstration
He has signed Li Dan Dan, Ferran Brugada and Ramon Mampel; strong contenders but like Jorge Lorenzo, they have visited the orphanage to play table tennis against the children.

Change Sports
Now, I wonder if they would like to change places with Jorge Lorenzo; well, watching the way he crashed in 2008 at the Chinese Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix I suggest they stick to table tennis.

He travelled faster than his motorbike; he left it behind as he sailed through the air!

Great Reward
Somehow he survived, world title have come his way, great rewards but was there any better reward than seeing the smiles on the children’s faces at the Sant Josep de la Muntanya Orphanage?

I doubt it.

Source: ittf.com

Winner of Girls’ Singles titles on the ITTF Junior Circuit in Fiji and Spain in 2005, she beat 25 year old Li Xue of France, the fifth highest world ranked player on duty in the first phase of the Women’s Singles event, to secure first place in the group and a place in the main draw.

Furthermore, she won in impressive style; she secured victory in four straight games.

Yuri Yamanashi in splendid form on home soil  Photo By: An Sung Ho

Second place for Li Xue
Earlier in the day she had beaten Hong Kong’s Guan Meng Xuan in six games; second place in the group went to Li Xue who overcame the Hong Kong teenager without the loss of a single game.

Li Xue was one of two players amongst the leading names in action not to secure top place in the group stage; the other was Zhang Rui of Hong Kong.

Reversal of Fortunes
The eighth highest world rated player in action on day one in the Women’s Singles even she was beaten by China’s Sheng Dandan who had opened proceedings in the group by defeating Korea’s Hwang Ji Na.

Zhang Rui secured second place in the group by overcoming the 19 year old Korean who had suffer the bitter pill of defeat having enjoyed the sweet taste of success some two weeks earlier in India.

In New Delhi, against the odds she reached the semi-final stage of the Women’s Singles event before losing to Japan’s Sayaka Hirano, the eventual winner.

Nervous Moments
Second place at the end of the group stage for two highly rated players and for two others, there were nervous moments.

Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching, the third highest world ranked player in action and Austria’s, Li Qiangbing, the sixth highest both had to rely on games ratio to secure top places.

Cheng I-Ching was beaten by Hong Kong’s Ng Wing Nam in six games who in the opening duel had lost to Korea’s Shim Se Rom in seven games. However, Cheng I-Ching recovered, in the final match in the group she defeated Shim Se Rom in four straight games to secure first place.

Positive Response
Similarly, Li Qiangbing was beaten in six games by Korea’s Nam So Mi who in her opening match had suffered against Hong Kong’s Yu Kwok See in four games.

In likewise fashion to Cheng I-Ching, Li Qiangbing responded, she overcame Yu Kwok See in four straight games to seal top place.

No Heartaches
Problems for Cheng I-Ching and Li Qiangbing but no such troubles for Japan’s Yuka Ishigaki and Hong Kong’s Lin Lin, the two highest rated players in action, nor for Korea’s, Lee Eun Hee, the fourth or line or Spain’s Shen Yanfei, the seventh highest on duty.

All four remained unbeaten to emerge as group winners.

Source: ittf.com

A total of 586 delegates from 92 countries, experts in different fields shared experiences, reporting on the latest findings for the promotion of sport for everyone.

Organized by the LIKES Research Centre, (the name being derived from the Finnish Liikunnan ja Kansanterveyden Edistämissäätiö) and the University of Jyvaskyla, the event was hosted by the Finnish Olympic Committee. Matters were administered under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Sportaccord/GAISF (GAISF - the General Association of International Sports Federations).

Jacques Rogge
Proceedings were opened by Jacques Rogge, IOC President.

“We have come to Finland with a sense of urgency to deal with an issue that affects the lives and health of people of all ages around the world”, he said. “At our last Congress in Malaysia, we urged governments and public authorities at all levels to make sport and physical activity a key element of health policy; two years later, the need for action is even more apparent, the WHO reports that 60 per cent of the world’s population fails to get the necessary amount of physical activity.”

Tradition
Certainly that is not the Finnish tradition.

Finland has a long tradition of promoting sport and physical activity to improve health and wellbeing of its citizens. Different organizations within the country are spreading the positive message of sport for all.

Representatives
The Congress brought together representatives from the Olympic family, specialists, researchers, government officials and United Nations representatives.

A variety of programmes, strategies and policies to promote Sport for All among the different age groups was discussed.

Sport for Youth Vital
“Humans need physical activity to thrive; far too many children have little opportunity for sport, exercise or outdoor play, we can see the results in the rising rates of youth obesity and diabetes”, said Jacques Rogge. “However, whilst we often focus on young people, we must not forget about the other age groups, physical activity is important for all generations and this notion is reflected in the programme of this Sport for All Congress; the upcoming Olympic Day on 23 June will be the next opportunity to encourage all age groups to get moving.”

It was a highly motivational address and the conclusion was equally positive.

Declaration
The Conference finished with a declaration that was supported unanimously by all participants; the document, which was presented by Sam Ramsamy, Chairman of the IOC’s Sport for All Commission, summed up current needs and trends in the field of Sport for All and recommended concrete action to counteract physical inactivity.

It was recommended that Congress members address and encourage increased activity from sports movement, individuals, families, the health sector, schools and government authorities.

Declaration
The full text of the declaration can be read by following the link below
The Declaration

ITTF Representation
At the proceedings, the International Table Tennis federation was represented by Glenn Tepper, Executive Director – Development Programmes and Leandro Olvech, Development Manager.

The aim was to become acquainted with concepts of Sport for All that could be applied within the table tennis community worldwide.

A “Sport for All” Policy and Projects are the next main aim of the ITTF Development Programme hence the attendance of Gelenn Tepper and Leandro Olvech.

Increasingly Important Worldwide Movement
“Sport for All” is becoming a unified and increasingly important worldwide movement, with the International Olympic Committee taking the lead”, said Glenn Tepper. “In table tennis, through the Development Programme and Global Junior Programme in particular, we are well in advance of many other sports in regards to targeted areas.”

Glenn Tepper quoted examples: “Beginner-schools programmes; veteran sport; women’s programmes; sport for athletes with a disability; social inclusion programmes; using sport as a vehicle for social change”, he itemized. “Our challenge is to formulate this into a clear “Sport for All” policy and provide projects which are easily implemented at national, club and school levels.”

Setting Example
Undoubtedly, the efforts of the ITTF Development Department are setting an example for other International Sports Federations.

“As a result of increased time with Peace and Sport staff we will soon finalize a “Table Tennis for Peace”, “how to” brochure which will be a first for any International Sports Federation and will used as a blueprint for other sports”, continued Glenn Tepper; who is quite prepared to learn from other sports.

“Tennis is always a good model for the International Table Tennis Federation to look for inspiration; they have adopted a grass roots system using bigger and softer balls and smaller courts, which leads to less drop out due to lack of success”, he added. “Already, I trialed this concept in the 90s when working for Table Tennis Australia; in the Australian School Championships I introduced an event using a smaller table and a 44mm ball readily available and used in Japan already, this ball allows young players to rally earlier and hence retention rates are increased; it was a very popular event. We plan to investigate also using a foam ball as tennis do for their youngest beginners.”

Topic for Thesis
Certainly in Japan, the 44mm ball tournaments have proved very popular and Glenn Tepper was also of the view that the Congress presented an opportunity for Leandro Olvech.

“Leandro as part of finalizing his Sports Management Masters must complete a thesis”, concluded Glenn Tepper. “We discussed which topic would both complete the requirements of his Masters Degree and leave a legacy for the International Table Tennis Federation; we both agreed on “Table Tennis for All”; we hope this will be ready for 2011!

Sounds much more interesting than the garbage I wrote for my thesis many moons ago about Pastoral Care in an English Comprehensive School! I wonder could there be some similarities?

Unique Opportunity
“It was a unique experience to share with people from other fields their experiences in this area and also to take note of useful concepts that can be useful for the International Table Tennis Federation”, said Leandro Olvech. “We expect that our final document will be useful for the whole table tennis family and can be used as guideline for development; thus we kindly request all those having information related to Table Tennis for All, development plans in general or for specific groups such as children, women, elderly people, disabled or any other to share it with us to be used for the “Table Tennis for All” booklet.

Contact Leandro Olvech
Please advise Leandro Olvech lolvech@ittf.com of development plans, propsals and any related items.

Taking the Lead and Take a Bow
The International Table Tennis Federation is ahead of the field; the IOC is to take a stronger leadership role in the next “Sport for All” Conference in Beijing, China in 2011 and has asked the ITTF to make a presentation at the conference.

All concerned in any aspect of work within the ITTF Development Department are to be congratulated; Table Tennis is truly the “Sport for All”.

Source: ittf.com