“Clubs have difficulty getting children to play table tennis.''
That statement by Mohsen Al Demerdash, the technical manager of the UAE Table Tennis Association, sums up the state of the game in the UAE.
Speaking on the sidelines of the President's Cup, the technical manager said that the association was fighting a losing battle. “What can we do? Everyone in this country seems obsessed with football. All money goes to that sport alone. The sponsors too have turned their heads away,'' he said.
Al Demerdash, however, saw a silver lining. “The sports ministry is trying to increase the budget for the so-called minor sports, which is a good sign,'' he added.
While the President's Cup is the season-ending tournament, the season having begun in September with the Association Cup, the league is the longest-running event of the UAE table tennis calendar.
With UAE's number one Rashid Omar their top player, Al Nasr Club have been the team to beat.
Omar is also part of the three-member UAE squad which will take part in the World Individual Championships in Zagreb from May 20, the other two being his Al Nasr teammate Nabeel Al Zarouni and Al Shabab player Hamid Essam.
And, while sending the team for the premier event may seem an exercise in futility, the focus is very much on the forthcoming Gulf Championships and the Arab Championships for which the association is planning to send the players to Hungary in July for training like it did last year.
The association, though, cannot be faulted for trying. Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, they have plans to start an expat league next season, besides allowing clubs to include a foreign professional.
President's Cup
- Al Nasr beat Al Shabab 3-0 to win the title for the seventh time
- Nabeel Al Zarouni (Nasr) bt Khalid Sakr (Shabab) 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
- Rashid Abdulhamid Omar (Nasr) bt Hamid Essam (Shabab) 11-9. 11-3. 11-6
- Rashid Abdulhamid-Hamed Seif (Nasr) bt Mohammad Gomaa-Khalid Sakr (Shabab) 11-8, 11-2, 11-3
