World Table Tennis Successfully Launches in Doha 03/14/21
The first ever official series of World Table Tennis (WTT) events, the Middle East Hub concluded yesterday with the successful staging of both WTT Contender and WTT Star Contender with Doha showcasing a new era in table tennis and zero COVID-19 cases.
The two historic events took place at the Lusail Sports Arena with WTT working closely with the Qatari authorities to ensure the new WTT style of events could begin during the pandemic, that makes hosting events extremely complicated.
ITTF CEO/WTT Director Steve Dainton said: “I am delighted that, despite the many challenges of a global pandemic, we are able to give our players, fans and supporters across the world the opportunity to enjoy live, competitive international table tennis at the elite level. Our brand new events this year, starting with the Contender series here in Doha, are taking our sport to the next level, for competitor and viewer alike.
International Table Tennis Federation 20 Dec 2020
The highest Spanish entry on the ITTF World Rankings list and an experienced head on the world stage, Alvaro Robles has been the pacesetter for his nation’s efforts over the past decade with numerous appearances at the sport’s most prestigious events.
Robles pulled off one of his finest international achievements last year when he combined with Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu to claim men’s doubles silver at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships in Budapest. One year on the ITTF caught up with the Spaniard to discuss all things table tennis.
Alvaro Robles, awaiting a successful 2021?
#RESTART proves Table Tennis can prevail amidst pandemic 12/11/20
After 238 days of no activity, table tennis was revived on the world stage on 8 November 2020 through the #RESTART series. In doing so, it became one of the first international sports to return to action amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which had halted all ITTF events since 15 March.
Three prestigious events held in China, and a further showpiece in Macao, featured players of the highest calibre. The ambitious series proved a huge success, particularly given the challenging circumstances faced from the start. Most importantly, zero COVID-19 cases were recorded throughout the entire bubble: a significant achievement and one that was only made possible through meticulous planning and many months of hard work behind the scenes.