Table Tennis News and Reviews

At the H.I.S. 2009 World Table Tennis Championships in Japan, 101 of ITTF’s 205 (new 207) member associations were represented with at least one player. 313 men and 215 women were entered by the associations.

The European continent with 42 countries had the biggest number of associations in Yokohama, while Latin America equalised its record participation from 2003 with 16 ITTF member associations.

The World Championships in Yokohama are now over and the winners have returned to their homelands with their well-earned medals but the record books will not show that there was another winner of the Championship medals, the ITTF Museum. After a highly successful exhibition with a record-breaking attendance, the ITTF Museum was presented with a set of the official Gold, Silver and Bronze medals by the Yokohama Organizing Committee.

Small ideas can have a big impact. The second edition of the Friendship Trophy to encourage girls and women to participate in the sport of table tennis has become a worldwide dimension. The event was staged in all continents and the United Nations and its Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Germany’s Willi Lemke, will not regret their support. Table Tennis around the World
In far away lands of the world, as far as one can get from where we were in the little town of Morges on the shores of the Lac Leman of Switzerland, table tennis was played on 8th March 2009, to celebrate women’s day.

The ITTF Women’s Working Group will organise a forum dedicated to the players during the H.I.S. 2009 World Table Tennis Championships in Yokohama on 4th of May from 09:00 to 13:00.

Table tennis was very much to the fore on Saturday 7th March 2009 at the second session of the 11th National People’s Congress in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister, Yang Jiechi, highlighted table tennis as one of his hobbies at the press conference held prior to the opening.

After the retirement of Olympic quarter-finalist Wang Chen, the U.S. women’s delegation will consist of young fresh faces at the forthcoming World Championships in Yokohama, Japan.

Ariel Hsing (13) and Lily Zhang (12) convinced selectors with their fine performances at the U.S. National Championships. Of the other nominated players, Gao Jun, Jasna Reed and Crystal Xi Huang, each one is older than the two youngsters together.

Official Message to
Table Tennis Manufacturers
And
National Associations (to distribute to players)