When one sport becomes a religion, it doesn't bode well for other disciplines which are relegated to the status of minor sports. It has been seen in India where cricket overshadows everything else. The UAE isn't far behind, with football cornering so much attention that players of other sports are left frustrated. Such is the case of UAE's top table tennis player Rashid Omar. The 19-year-old was a success on the junior circuit: the highest-ranked Arab player in the world at 46 and reaching the round of 32 in the last world junior championships. He became the UAE No 1 in 2003 at the age of 15, but things haven't quite gone his way since. Omar currently languishes at 553 in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings and he puts that down to his inability to play in the ITTF Pro-Tour events. The Arab World hosts two tournaments – the Qatar Open and the Kuwait Open – but Omar hasn't ever played in either. This year, a proposed training camp for the Gulf Cup in February clashed with those two events and prevented him from competing. His frustration was completed when the camp was scrapped. "Even the camp didn't take place finally. As it is we hardly get the chance to play these all-important ITTF Pro-Tour events which eventually decides where you are ranked. So as things stand now, I really don't know what my future in the game holds. "For all you know, I may switch to football for that is all people here are bothered about," said the star player for Al Nasr Club, who won the season-ending President's Cup for the seventh time. Omar, who studies business at Dubai Men's College doesn't see himself still playing the game in two years' time if things don't improve. "Why should I suffer in trying to play a game that doesn't have any backing? "I am still a student and I always have the option of pursuing higher studies, or taking up another game. Table tennis has no money, there are no sponsors willing to spend on this game," he said. Omar has got a personal sponsor in Damas but it's not enough. "According to my contract with them, they sponsor my training for the ITTF Pro-Tour events. However, the association is more concerned about the Gulf Championships and the Arab Championships and their schedule doesn't always suit mine. "And it's difficult for me to take leave from college for the Pro-Tour events. Nevertheless, I don't think the federation is at fault here. They have tried their best, but it needs more than their effort to get this game off the ground," he said.
