Table tennis eyes new frontiers

Dubai: A top official from the world governing body for table tennis is hoping this summer's planned Dubai World Table Tennis Team Cup Classic (DWTTTCC) will lift the sport to even greater heights in the region.

"The aim of holding an event like this one is definitely going to be to ensure an increase in table tennis activity both on the competitive and leisure levels in UAE," Judit Farago, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Executive Director of Competitions told Gulf News.

"There is also a plan in place to have extensive television coverage for the event and this will not just help us achieve this goal, but also ensure Dubai's position as a great host of top sporting events," she added.

Farago was a member of an ITTF delegation along with ITTF Competitions manager Karl Jindrak which visited Dubai last week to check on preparations for hosting the DWTTTCC at the Al Nasr Club from September 28 to October 1.

The visiting ITTF delegation, who were in Shanghai, China for the Volkswagen Challenge between the World All Stars Team and China, had taken a reconnaissance of the arrangements when they stopped in Dubai last week.

Deliberate choice

The top ITTF official insisted that the ITTF's choice of Dubai as a host was a deliberate one in an attempt to spread the sport to new frontiers.

"We try to take our title events to different regions of the world, and the Gulf area figures prominent among these," Farago said.

"The World Team Cup is one of the most interesting and popular title event and we have one of the highest television interests for this tournament," she added.

Farago admitted that the scales tipped in favour of Dubai due to the novelty of the place in the world of table tennis.

"Dubai is an attractive place for the sponsors and supporters, and it is also an attractive destination for visitors. So surely it is good for our prestige to have a top show-case event in table tennis here," Farago said. She hoped that the UAE would increase its level of commitment to such regular events on the calendar in the near future.

"In the region, Qatar has hosted the World Championships in 2004, while Qatar and Kuwait have regular Premium Pro Tour events. So it would be good if the UAE also shows up as regular organiser," Farago said.

"We hope that the success of this event [in September] will lead to more table tennis events held in the UAE," she added.