Scheduled to be staged in Bordeaux from Monday 8th to Sunday 14th June owing to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the 2020 World Veteran Championships have been postponed.The local organising committee will advise a new date in due course. “After many discussions and analysis between the Organizing Committee the city of Bordeaux and the FFTT it was obvious that we could not avoid to cancel or postpone the WVC in Bordeaux for the known reasons. The decision has been taken to postpone the event at a later date to be decided together with all the involved parties including the ITTF for calendar reason. We all hope to be able to welcome all the participants in the best conditions in Bordeaux soon. See you there! Stay healthy ” said Claude BERGERET SCI Secretary and member of the Bordeaux Organising Committee. Initiated by the Swaythling Club International in 1982 the destination being the Swedish city of Gothenburg some 400 entries were received. Now for Bordeaux the first time the tournament has been staged in France an incredible 5 700 entries were accepted and there is a waiting list. Such is the attraction of the tournament! Notably registration opened at midnight last year on Thursday 28th February. In the first minute on Friday 1st March 10 registrations had been received; at the end of the day 200 had been submitted.
2020 World Table Tennis At Home Day!
In light of the global spread of COVID-19 World Table Tennis Day – the annual celebration of the sport taking place on 6th April 2020 – will be taking on a very different form to previous years. Instead of the traditional social gatherings casual table tennis activities and charity events taking place around the world this time people will be engaged in the sport like never before via special initiatives planned on social media. Run by the ITTF Foundation and supported by the ITTF World Table Tennis Day has grown tremendously year on year with a record-breaking 922 events in 107 countries registered in 2019. With 2020 World Table Tennis Day taking on a different spin to proceedings to accommodate for everyone needing to stay at home in the current period here is what people can look forward to in two weeks’ time: The longest rally in history?! Create history and contribute to the longest table tennis rally! In true World Table Tennis Day spirit anyone can take part! All you need to do is respond to this social media teaser by sending in your video of hitting a table tennis ball. One hit is enough but be creative! You can use any random objects that you can find around the house to hit the ball or why not perform a trickshot! Whether you’re in your bedroom the kitchen living area garden garage or even outside you can film your video from anywhere! The craziest funniest video clips will be combined to create the longest ever rally online which will be published on ITTF and ITTF Foundation social media channels on 6th April 2020. *** TECHNICAL DETAILS *** Please film your video in horizontal mode and from the front view (just like in the social media teaser). Then submit your clip to this OneDrive folder and remember to tell us your name city and country so that we can give a proper shoutout to all the participants featured in the final video! Deadline to submit your video: 2nd April 2020. 24 hours of non-stop table tennis! You will not want to take your eyes off the ITTF’s digital channels on 6th April 2020 especially with 24 hours of wall-to-wall table tennis showing on the ITTF’s Facebook page starting at 00:00 GMT. That’s 24 hours of original never seen before archive footage all in HD taking you on a trip down memory lane to revisit a bucket list of classic unforgettable matches from the past and many of the greatest legends to ever play the sport! That’s not all! To get you in the festive spirit hidden easter eggs will appear on screen at certain points of the 24-hour programme. The challenge is for fans to collect as many Easter eggs as possible by taking selfies that show the eggs and submit them to this online form for a chance to win autographed balls and rackets. COVID-19: user generated content the key You may already have seen the #SafeTableTennis video series doing the rounds on social media in which fans are sending in videos of themselves playing table tennis while quarantined at home with anything and everything they can find lying around. The very best fan submissions are being featured on ITTF social channels with the additional chance to win a prize. COVID-19 is of course affecting the players as well and they too have been sending in their videos showing how they are keeping up with their training routines to stay on top of their game even while on quarantine. The best #TrainLikeAPro “Home Edition” videos are being featured on ITTF social channels. Additionally players have also sent in fun videos on how to combat the virus from physical distancing to a truly innovative way of blowing out birthday candles. Stay tuned for more creative content from the world of table tennis on the ITTF’s social platforms: Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube Weibo
President KRAMER: The only right thing to do
In a joint statement made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee it was announced today that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been postponed to no later than the summer of 2021. This decision was taken in light of the spread of COVID-19 worldwide and to best protect athletes officials and fans alike. “The only right thing to do. I understand and support all our players coaches and officials in their ambition to perform at the highest possible level but the highest priority is to defend the public health of people all around the globe. I fully agree with the IOC and the Japanese authorities that under the present circumstances it is very wise to postpone the Olympic Games to the summer of 2021 ” stated ETTU President Ronald KRAMER. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) also expresses its support of today’s decision. “As partners of the IOC since 1988 we at the ITTF have lived very good times. We have grown as an Olympic sport and more than ever we are here to say that we wholeheartedly support today’s IOC decision. We are conscious of how difficult it is to deal with the organisation of a quadrennial event of such magnitude as the Olympic and Paralympic Games ” said ITTF President Thomas Weikert. In their annoumcment ITTF also stated: “Since this is fresh yet wholly understandable news to all of the International Federations the ITTF will now study further all of the implications and will work with the IOC on what this means from a sporting perspective.”
JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND THE TOKYO 2020 ORGANISING COMMITTEE
JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE AND THE TOKYO 2020 ORGANISING COMMITTEE The president of the International Olympic Committee (Ioc) Thomas Bach and the Prime Minister оf Japan Abe Shinzo held a conference call this morning to discuss the constantly changing environment with regard to covid-19 and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. They were joined by Mori Yoshiro the President of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee; the Olympic Minister Hashimoto Seiko; the Governor of Tokyo Koike Yuriko; the Chair of the IOC Coordination Commission John Coates; IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper; and the IOC Olympic Games Executive Director Christophe Dubi. President Bach and Prime Minister Abe expressed their shared concern about the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and what it is doing to people’s lives and the significant impact it is having on global athletes’ preparations for the Games. In a very friendly and constructive meeting the two leaders praised the work of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee and noted the great progress being made in Japan to fight against COVID-19. The unprecedented and unpredictable spread of the outbreak has seen the situation in the rest of the world deteriorating. Yesterday the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the COVID-19 pandemic is “accelerating”. There are more than 375 000 cases now recorded worldwide and in nearly every country and their number is growing by the hour. In the present circumstances and based on the information provided by the WHO today the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021 to safeguard the health of the athletes everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community. The leaders agreed that the Olympic Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon of hope to the world during these troubled times and that the Olympic flame could become the light at the end of the tunnel in which the world finds itself at present. Therefore it was agreed that the Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was also agreed that the Games will keep the name Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Strong earthquake has shaken the Croatian capital
On Sunday a strong earthquake has shaken the Croatian capital Zagreb bringing much of the population on to the streets after social distancing regulations to prevent the spread of coronavirus had been put in place. The quake which struck shortly after 6am local time on Sunday caused widespread damage including to the city’s cathedral and the evacuation of hospitals. The epicenter was 4 miles north of Zagreb 6 miles above the centre of the 5.3-magnitude earthquake which was followed by a number of smaller tremors. The prime minister Andrej PLENKOVIĆ said the earthquake was the biggest in Zagreb in the last 140 years. Many buildings in the capital cracked and walls and rooftops were damaged. Streets were littered with debris. Concrete slabs fell on cars and chimneys landed in front of building entrances. “We are all shaken but unhurt. It is little bit too much to deal with all this currently. The old city is damaged. Two strong earthquakes on top of the lockdown in Zagreb and other measures against CORVID 19…’ explained Andreaj GACINA. Solidarity is once again the key word. “It is delicate situation but we have army on the streets helping people.” GACINA is trying to stay in shape and he exercise at home but his main concern is his 26 months -old son. “I try to do some fitness exercise and do basic prevention from injury but the rest of the day is booked for my son Adrian. He is small and he has a lot of energy he is getting boring easily. He needs to be active to go out to play or ride the bike. I do not have time for movies or books. I need all the energy for him ” explained Andrej.
HAN Ying: Homework before games
Germany’s HAN Ying spends her time with the family. As every mum there are no lack of activates for her at home with our without isolation. “We are all well. I spend time with my family mostly with my daughter. I am helping her with the homework and we also play table tennis together – always busy schedule ” explained HAN Ying. Playing table tennis is not the only “sport” activity. “I play table tennis with my husband as well but we do not have much space. We also practice playing Nintendo games all together ” revealed HAN.
Harry Potter vs. isolation solitude
Russia’s Vladimir SIDORENKO was on duty at the European Under 21 Championships in Varazdin before he was forced to make a break like all of us. We found him in his home in Saint Petersburg. “I’m fine. Because of this situation since I cannot go to Germany I am at home in Saint Petersburg. Now I’m trying to have focus on my physically conditions trying to do something with the school and of course to stay more at home cause outside now is dangerous. I can’t go to the cinema or my school so I have to study by Skype with my teachers and it’s something I am not used to… I can not going anywhere by subway cause my father says that it’s really dangerous ” said SIDORENKO. Moscow St. Petersburg and a few other cities have adopted strict anti-coronavirus measures and Russian government is considering to imposing it across the entire country. “I have many hobbies I read a lot and watch serials on Netflix or just study because in the summer I have to pass my last exams ” SIDORENKO explained how he spend the time in isolation. “I like to watch Pirates of the Caribbean Sea Harry Potter( all series) Sherlock Game of Thrones Hangover 13 Reasons Why Elite.”
Dimitrij OVTCHAROV: Be patient
As most of the players Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV is spending his days with the family. “At the moment we stay at home all the time. I am happy to have a small garden where we are playing with our daughter. We try to be outside on our property as much as we can as long as the weather is fine. We also play some games like Uno. At least i can spend a lot of quality time with my famliy which normally is not the case because of travelling from one competition to another ” said OVTCHAROV. However table tennis is never out of the picture: “At the moment I am staying with my famliy at my parents house. My dad has a double garage which is repurposed as a small traings hall. As my dad was also a professional player back in the days I am practicing with him two times a day often with multi ball training. Besides I also go out running and make fitness training as well.” New routines/hobbies: “As I am still practicing at least 2 times with my dad and doing other basic stuff there is not really time to discover completely new things. I just stick to my normal routine except travelling at the moment.” When it comes to movies…better to stick with serial. “I am a big movie lover but as I am living together with my wife who likes other movies then me it’s not always easy to find the right movie for the both of us. As we are now staying with my parents it is even harder to find the right thing so it is more likely a group decision at the moment. One of the latest series we watched was Messiah which was actually pretty good. Take a look!” Dima has a message to all: “Please listen to the advice and stay at home even if this is hard from time to time. The more you take care the earlier it will get better and we all can play table tennis again. Stay safe and be patient.”
Hong Kong and China Opens postponed due to COVID-19
Due to the ongoing uncertainty caused by COVID-19 the 2020 ITTF World Tour Hong Kong and China Opens have been postponed. With the spread of COVID-19 across different parts of the world over recent weeks the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) confirms that the following events have been postponed: 2020 ITTF World Tour Hong Kong Open originally scheduled for 5-10 May in Hong Kong China (HKG) ITTF World Tour Platinum China Open originally scheduled for 12-17 May in Shenzhen (CHN) The ITTF is working with the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association (HKTTA) and Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) to find new suitable dates for each of the events whilst closely monitoring the situation. Further updates will be forthcoming when more information comes to hand.
Robert GARDOS: I enjoy family time
Austria’s Robert GARDOS is surrounded with his family in home isolation but with three kids he has not a lot of free time. They are all in their house in Spain and they follow strict measures of the Government. “We are ok. I am at home at home with three children 9 years old 4 years and 2 month! The older Alejandro has homework every day from the school and video chat with the professor! My wife’s mother is still here helping us because there was no more flight to go back in República Dominicana ” said GARDOS. GARDOS revealed his daily routine. “Our day by day is: in the mornings we are busy with homework for the school and helping Alejandro then I try to make an hour and half practice service with the robot or I make fitness since I have everything what I need at home. In the afternoon we make something together like games or play table-tennis with the children or look a movie. We cook much trying to make good Vegan food! As a father I don’t have much time free. WE clean or make order or make the food so everyone is making something. We are not boring.” Netflix is also part of daily activities. “I have Netflix and read a lot but we watch everything with the children so there is not so much options.” GAROS message summarize: “We have to be calm and hope that it’s only one month and after we can continue our normal life. For me it’s not so difficult because I enjoy very much the time with family and I have my robot so I can practice and do my usual fitness exercise.”
