Vladimir SAMSONOV reached the semi final of the Men’s Singles Event at the Seamaster 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus Portugal Open. Belarusian suffered by the hands of the Chinese top seed LIN Gaoyuan in a spectacular affair. Despite holding a lead by the close of game three Vladi couldn’t quite find the finishing touch as LIN Gaoyuan took his game up another notch sealing the win by a 4-2 margin (11-7 11-13 8-11 11-9 11-8 11-7).   China’s LIN Gaoyuan and LIU Shiwen the top seeds beat Slovakia’s Lubomir PISTEJ and Tatiana KUKULKOVA the no.2 seeds in three straight games (11-8 11-6 11-4) to clinch the crown in Mixed Doubles Event. LIN Gaoyuan and LIU Shiwen add to the success enjoyed last year on the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour. On home soil in Shenzhen Lin Gaoyuan won in partnership with CHEN Xingtong; later in the year LIU Shiwen struck gold when she joined forces with XU Xin in Linz.   The winner in both 2017 and 2018 in Belgium Japan’s Shunsuke TOGAMI emerged victorious in the under 21 men’s singles final; he beat China’s XIANG Peng in three straight games (12-10 12-10 11-7). The women’s singles runner up on the 2014 ITTF World Tour in Argentina when beaten in the final by colleague HE Zhoujia China’s FAN Siqi resisted a brave recovery by Romania’s Adina DIACONU to clinch the under 21 women’s singles title (11-8 12-10 2-11 8-11 11-9).

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is receiving bids from cities keen to grasp this unique opportunity to become the global ‘Home of Table Tennis’ including the ITTF’s future Headquarters Training Centre and High Performance & Development base.   The ITTF’s current Headquarters are situated in Lausanne Switzerland while the ITTF Asia-Pacific Office is based in Singapore accounting for 50% of the ITTF’s 50 professional staff at present. However with the total number of staff members set to increase by 50% over the next few years the ITTF is on the lookout for a brand new ‘Home of Table Tennis’ to drive the exponential growth of a sport in ever-increasing demand.   Upwards of half a billion people are playing Table Tennis around the world and the ITTF runs 120 international events which are viewed live on TV in over 120 countries and by over 500 million people.   Aggressive growth over the last 10 years in terms of commercial value global participation and world-class events has positioned the ITTF among the most dynamic sporting organisations on the planet.   Armed with a clear vision through its new Strategic Plan and with the ITTF holding all of its commercial rights in its own hands heading into the next rights cycle in 2021 there has never been a more exciting time to invest in the sport and host the ‘Home of Table Tennis.’   The benefits for the successful host city are plentiful and most importantly wholly sustainable beyond the global prestige millions of dollars added to the city/country’s economy and raised potential to host major sport events showcasing internationally renowned professional athletes.   That is because the ITTF is not simply looking for a new global Headquarters to house its ever-increasing professional staff but also an international Training Centre for its ambitious High Performance & Development projects.   In short you will be helping to create and nurture the Table Tennis stars of the future while there will also be immediate pathways for local Table Tennis talent to train with the best coaches and players in the world just as local professional talent will have opportunities to join on board as ITTF staff members and contribute directly to the sport’s continued global growth.   “Whilst this is an objective for beyond 2019 the ITTF is already planning ahead to set up a true ‘Home of Table Tennis.’ All cities submitting bids will realise the exceptional opportunities available to them not least raising their global profile and significant economic investments into their local communities.   “This won’t just be an office but also a permanent base for our High Performance & Development strategy and state-of-the-art training facilities. The ultimate goal would be to have a mini museum TTX tables and a retail store too. We want people to stop by and enjoy a game of Table Tennis as well.   “Hopefully this is the place that can help create the next stars of our sport. After all we need to be nurturing a new generation of talent from different parts of the world to ensure an exciting future for Table Tennis and one which will attract more and more spectators and supporters from across the globe. The new ‘Home of Table Tennis’ will go a long way to helping us achieve our long-term ambitions ” said Steve Dainton ITTF CEO.   The ITTF ‘Home of Table Tennis’ should be located within an international city and provide opportunities for the office to expand over time with a minimum office space of 1000sqm preferably developed specifically for the ITTF on vacant land.   Close proximity to an International Airport is also necessary given the ITTF’s global footprint with professional staff international partners and clients active in all corners of the world.   With more than 30 nationalities represented currently among the ITTF’s workforce it is also essential that visa support is provided to assist in ensuring that staff from various countries are able to live and work within the country of the new ‘Home of Table Tennis.’   Bidding Process Expression of Interest – 15th April 2019 Concept and Plan Submission – 31st August 2019 Evaluation Period – 1st September-31st December 2019 Decision Announcement Are you the perfect match for us? Click here to find out more about this unique opportunity and enter your bid!