LIEBHERR 2017 World Championships     Playing in the hall just 15 minutes away from his home gave Dimitrij OVTCHAROV extra energy and motivation admitted World’s no. 5 best seeded European and Olympic bronze medal winner in 2012 at the press conference held today in the Messe Dusseldorf the venue of the LIEBHERR 2017 World Championships.   “Dimitrij is living here and I am playing for Borussia for 10 years now. It is special feeling to play the Worlds in this city. We have a lot of friends and family members here. We also expects a great support from the home crowd ” said BOLL.   BOLL is seeded at the position no. 8.   “I recovered completely from the knee injury. I am fully prepared and certainly in much better shape comparing the same period year ago ” said BOLL.   Being so long at the very top BOLL was asked to comment today’s game.   “Oh my God did my game changed so much ” he joked.” It is not about the game. It is how you move in the court. As I said I am fit now I move very well and that is the reason why I played much better.”   Timo will play with MA Long in doubles.   “His English improved very much which is not the case with my Chinese…”laughs BOLL. ”We communicate in English. We already spoke about the forthcoming match and it is good that we are both focused on the first round. We are not talking who will come in third round we are making one step in the time.”   Petrissa SOLJA will also play with Chinese player FANG Bo in the Mixed Doubles Event.   “When we have problem in communication it is always my coach there to translate. We already had training together and I was nervous in the morning session playing alongside him but it was already better this afternoon.”   OVTCHAROV talked about the withdrawal from the German Championships.   “With so many big tournaments you have to make priorities. Health is at the first place. I have to maintain fit for the Olympics or World championships “ explained OVTCHAROV.

LIEBHERR 2017 World Championships   French team came in Dusseldorf at the LIEBHERR 2017 Worlds Championships lead by World’s no 15 Simon GAUZY and Emmanuel LEBESSON ranked at the possition no. 35. In the team are also Tristan FLORE Quentin ROBINOT Alexandre ROBINOT whilst women’s team is consist of Laura GASNIER Stéphanie LOEUILLETTE Pauline CHASSELIN.   Last year at the European Championships LEBESSON ended the 18 years long drought for France. After 1998 and bronze for Jean-Philippe GATIEN LEBESSON won gold in the epic final against Simon GAUZY.   In Dusseldorf Simon is the leader of the team.   “I want to play my best table tennis in the biggest competitions like World Championships. I trained very hard and now I just want to start. I talked a lot with Emmanuel LEBESSON and we feel that the players are look at us has changed after the European Championships but between us nothing has changed. We just try to improve our table tennis and represent our country as much as possible ” said GAUZY.   For LEBESSON after the European Championships the season was far from good. He struggled with the injury for two months and it affected his club performance as well.   “I don’t feel any more pressure after my European title clinched last year but for sure the title force you to set up your goals little bit higher. I am one of the outsiders but I will fight even for a medal. I know that it will be difficult but I am finally in the good shape. I will make all the efforts to be perform at the best level here in Düsseldorf. I feel confident. I will try to win my first round which is never easy for me and we’ll see after ” explained LEBESSON.  

The Opening and Draw Ceremony of the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships has taken place today 28 May 2017 at the ESPRIT Arena in Düsseldorf Germany to conclude the position of the top 64 seeds in the round of 128   Top seeded DING Ning (CHN) is likely to have a rematch of her Asian Championships encounter against 2017 Asian Champion Miu HIRANO (JPN) in the semifinals for her chance to avenge her loss.   Dubbed “Hurricane Hirano” after upsetting three higher ranked top Chinese players to become the first non-Chinese Champion since 1996 the 17-year-old Japanese sensation shared “I think winning many titles has made the media to give me many positive names and I think this is good for me as it will motivate me to aim for more titles. Also playing in the Chinese league made me to learn how to play against the Chinese players and this is what helped me to be where I am today.”   “I think not making World Championships team the team in 2016 really spurred me on to really work harder and the rewards of the diligent were the titles I have been winning and I hope more titles will come in for me.”   Reigning World and Olympic Champion DING’s aim will not just be looking for revenge but to defend her hard-earned title from 2015. The world number one stated at the press conference that “This is the World Championship and it is the highest level of table tennis and every player in this competition is playing under pressure just like me. I am in this tournament to do my best and my focus is to take each game as it comes. I will surely do my best to achieve the best.”   The Men’s Singles could see a classic clash between Grand Slam Champions MA Long (CHN) and ZHANG Jike (CHN) in the final. The long-term rivals’ last encounter was at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Men’s Singles final where MA stood victorious to claim his first Olympic Singles title but two-time World Champion ZHANG will too be fighting his best for a third crown.   China’s XU Xin will be looking to set up a quarterfinals meeting against Japan’s Jun MIZUTANI to revenge his loss in the Olympic Team final last year in Rio de Janeiro.   The mixed associations Men’s Doubles pairing between host country’s Timo BOLL (GER) and reigning World & Olympic Champion MA Long is undoubtedly one of the main fan focuses for the 2017 World Championships. The partnership between the two table tennis superstars at the Qoros 2015 World Championships was in vain after losing to MA’s teammates and eventual Champions XU Xin and ZHANG Jike in the second round of the Men’s Doubles event. Their draw is no easier this time around as the popular duo are due to meet the Chinese pair of XU Xin and FAN Zhendong in the third round.   On the pairing MA commented “I haven’t had the chance to practice with Timo yet but the two of us have partnered each other few times before and we have had some good results and our playing styles are rather similar as well. Over the next few days we will be training hard and do our best to do better this time round.”   The Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships will see 613 players from 108 countries fighting for the five titles up for grabs in Germany: Men’s Singles Women’s Singles Men’s Doubles Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles.   With the draw concluded qualification for the remaining 64 spots available in the singles main draw of 128 will starts tomorrow 29 May 2017 with the main draw starting 31 May. The Women’s champion will be crowned on 4 June and the Men’s on 5 June.

The biggest table tennis event on earth will commence this Monday (May 29th) in Dusseldorf Germany   The LIEBHERR 2017 World Table Tennis Championships will commence this Monday (May 29th) in Dusseldorf the capital of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. A total of 613 players from 108 countries are going to compete in Messe Dusseldorf a trade fair ground and organizer that occupies a total exhibition area of 306 000 m2.   Ninth time World Championships will be staged with only individual events since the inaugural one held in Eindhoven in 1999. Dusseldorf is determined to surpass many records set by Chinese city of Suzhou two years ago. New technologies and innovations such as aerial cam ball-tracking technology and the Liebherr Live Show mean that fans all over the globe will be brought closer to the action.   China won all singles events in both men`s and women`s competitions in last six championships. Last gold taken by one non-Chinese player belongs to Austrian Werner SCHLAGER men`s champion in 2003. This time reigning champions are MA Long and DING Ning.   Actual both World and Olympic champion 28-year-old MA Long will play for its second crown after first he took in front of his fans in Suzhou. Then he beat unexpected finalist his compatriot FANG Bo. The 2015 semi-finalist 20-year-old title contender FAN Zhendong now stands as No. 2 seed followed by two more Chinese players 2013 semi-finalist XU Xin and double World champion (2011 2013) ZHANG Jike.   Two biggest hopes of host nation and two highest ranked European players Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (No. 5 seed) and Timo BOLL (No. 8) lead the list of biggest challengers. OVTCHAROV reached three times Round of 16 (Yokohama 2009 Rotterdam 2011 Paris 2013) while the best BOLL`s achievement was bronze medal in Rotterdam Netherlands six years ago when he was beaten by ZHANG Jike in the semi-final stage.   Great Belarus Vladimir SAMSONOV actual No. 12 seed will try to bring back some memories from 1997 World Championships in Manchester when he lost to Jan-Ove WALDNER in the last all-European final. No. 13 seed Simon GAUZI is determined to set his personal best score as he twice in a row reached Round of 64. Marcos FREITAS (No. 14) hopes that he will repeat at least Round of 16 he saw in Paris 2013. Austrian Stefan FEGERL (No. 18 Round of 32 in 2015) and Swede Kristian KARLSSON (No. 19 Round of 64 in 2015) will play in front of “domestic” fans bearing in mind that they both are members of Borussia Dusseldorf.   Regarding Women`s Singles event 26 year-old DING Ning targets her third World crown after 2011 and 2015. Other strong contenders are her compatriots LIU Shiwen (2013 2015 finalist) and 22-year-old ZHU Yuling (2015 semifinalist). Singapore`s FENG Tianwei hopes that he is capable to go one step more after 2015 quarterfinal while 17-year-old Japan`s Miu HIRANO could go down in history. HIRANO who reached Round of 32 two years ago already made history when she won the Women’s World Cup in 2016 becoming the youngest winner ever. At the 2017 Asian Championships she shocked the world once again by defeating 3 Chinese players (including Olympic Champion DING Ning) to win the Women’s Singles title.   Best ranked European representative is 2005 champion of Old Continent LIU Jia (No. 12). The 35-year-old set his best score in the World Championships in 2001 in Osaka when she played in the quarter-final. The 23-year-old host Petrissa SOLJA (No. 13) was eliminated in the Round of 64 two years ago but couple months after that she won Bronze at the Women’s World Cup beating higher ranked players like Ai FUKUHARA and LI Jiao.   Luxembourg`s NI Xialian (LUX) and Viktoria PAVLOVICH (BLR) will compete at the World Championships for a record nineteenth time this year. NI Xialian will be the oldest female player having 53 years 10 months and 26 days on the opening day.   Concerning doubles events one of most intriguing questions is how far can go two table tennis legends Timo BOLL and MA Long. They partnership started two years ago in Suzhou but tough draw prevented them to come closer to the podium. In the second round of the Men’s Doubles event they lost in six games to the eventual winners XU Xin and ZHANG Jike. Now following the draw for the Men’s Doubles event at the LIEBHERR 2017 World Championships they will face a very similar problem once again. Potentially they could play against No. 3 seeds FAN Zhendong and XU Xin the no.3 seeds in the third round.   Medalists of the 2015 World Championships in Suzhou China   Men`s Singles: Gold MA Long (China) Silver FANG Bo (China) Bronze FAN Zhendong (China) and ZHANG Jike (China)   Women`s Singles: Gold DING Ning (China) Silver LIU Shiwen (China) Bronze LI Xiaoxia (China) and MU Zi (China)   Men`s Doubles: Gold ZHANG Jike / XU Xin (China) Silver FAN Zhendong / ZHOU Yu (China) Bronze LEE Sangsu/SEO Hyuendeok (Korea) Kenta MATSUDAIRA/Koki NIWA (Japan)   Women`s Doubles: Gold ZHU Yuling / LIU Shiwen (China) Silver DING Ning / LI Xiaoxia (China) Bronze FENG Tianwei / YU Mengyu (Singapore) and LI Jie (Netherlands) / LI Qian (Poland)   Mixed Doubles: Gold YANG Haeun (Korea) / XU Xin (China) Silver Kasumi ISHIKAWA / Maharu YOSHIMURA (Japan) Bronze KIM Jong / KIM Hyok-boong (North Korea) and DOO Hoi Kem / WONG Chun Ting (Hong Kong)    

The Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships to be held from 29 May to 5 June 2017 in Düsseldorf Germany is set to be broadcasted to fans in over 120 territories in the world.  The biggest table tennis event on earth the 2017 World Championships is expected to break new viewership records in Düsseldorf with the ITTF introducing new technologies and innovations such as aerial cam ball-tracking technology & a Liebherr live show in its broadcast to bring the sport closer to table tennis enthusiasts all over the globe.   “We have enjoyed a highly successful partnership with the ITTF since 2016 which has borne great results and elevated the profile of their tournaments including the World Table Tennis Championships ” said David White President of Media at Lagardère Sport. “For this cycle of competitions we are proud to have secured an expanded roster of broadcast partners. That means more viewers globally and better quality coverage which fulfils our overall mission in growing the appeal of table tennis around the world.”   In the new stable of broadcasters including North American giants ESPN and CBC plus Latin American power Globo and Claro Sports ensures that the World Championships are being seen extensively by these two markets which are a big growth area for table tennis.   ITTF Marketing and Commercial Director Steve Dainton added “Our goal at the ITTF is to ensure that as many people see our events around the world. We are pleased that we have secured new broadcast partners in new territories and that all our hard work has ensured that as many people will get there pleasure of seeing the world’s best players in action on their TV phones and other mobile devices.”   Other than broadcast on TV and Over-The-Top (OTT) mobile platforms with ITTF’s media rights partners the ITTF will also be streaming eight tables of world-class table tennis action on its online streaming platform tv.ITTF.com for all eight days of the competition.    The Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships will see  613 players from 108 countries making their trip to Düsseldorf to fight for the five titles up for grabs in Germany: Men’s Singles Women’s Singles Men’s Doubles Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Qualification for the singles main draw of 128 will start on 29 May 2017 with the main draw starting 31 May. The Women’s champion will be crowned on 4 June and the Men’s on 5 June.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has renewed its long-term partnership agreement with China Unicom. China Unicom who have been ITTF’s partner since 2006 have extended for four more years as a major sponsor for the ITTF World Championships.   The first event of the extended partnership is the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships which starts on Monday 29 May 2017.   On the new deal Unicom stated: “China Unicom is proud to have been a partner of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships since 2006. We have always been very happy with the international exposure we gain from our sponsorship of this massive event and we are pleased that we were able to continue our fruitful sponsorship for the next 4 years and be involved in the current table tennis boom.”   Thomas WEIKERT the ITTF President added: “China Unicom has been a very loyal partner for the ITTF for many years so we are pleased that they will continue especially as they are increasing their support of the event. We look forward to continuing to work with China Unicom to activate their brand more and more through our World Championships.”   China Unicom’s brand will be in full view once the world’s biggest table tennis event kicks off on 29 May and concludes on 5 June after five World Titles have been awarded.

A intensive work last few days before the start of the LIEBHERR World Championship took place in training camp in Kopenhagen. The Danish Table Tennis Federation in cooperation with the Olympic Committee organized a training session at Idraettens Hus in Broendby from 21st to 25th May. It was organised for the Danish and foreign athletes in order to be ready for the Düsseldorf challenges. They also invited internationals from Russia Greece Sweden and India.   The event was run by Swedish national coach Linus MERNSTEN. The Linus’s assistants YAO Cheugren and Chinese HI Wei Xin former coach of European champion in men’s singles of 2009 Michael MAZE were also on duty. They worked with Jonathan GROTH Tobias RASMUSSEN Anders LIND Claus NIELSEN Michael MAZE Mikkel HINDERSSON from Denmark Grigory VLASOV Mikhail PAIKOV Kirill SKACHKOV Alexander SHIBAEV Alexey LIVENTSOV Vladimir SIDORENKO from Russia Panagiotis GIONIS Tasos RINIOTIS Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS from Greece Sharath Kamal ACHANTA from India and Simon ARVIDSSON from Sweden.   On Wednesday on the penultimate day of the kamp the tournament was organised with six of the aforementioned athletes took part. Under the title “Ready for Düsseldorf” the tournament was held in Hillerod 30 minutes away from Broendby. It was open to the public and gathered around 100 fans. ACHANTA won 1st place. In the final he defeated SHIBAEV 3-1. In the semifinals the Indian beat 3-2 GROTH while SHIBAEV also succeded 3-2 against ARVIDSSON. GIONIS and LIND also competed.   The camp ended today with one more morning training session. All guests were delighted with hospitality and facilities and stressed that strong training in good conditions helped the athletes and stimulated their psychology.   I. Fakaros

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is rolling out more innovations at the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships than ever before.  These innovations will bring the amazing performances of the world’s best table tennis players closer to the millions of fans who will be following the event live and on demand all over the globe.   Excited about the new additions to the upcoming World Championships ITTF Marketing & Commercial Director Steve DAINTON stated:  “Our young team in Singapore in the Marketing and Promotions office has been waiting for the chance to innovate in our sport.  With strong support from the current ITTF leadership since taking the rights back in house we have been able to raise our marketing income which allows us to invest into cool new broadcast features. We look forward to these being a success and implementing more positive changes to promote our sport in the near future.”   The quality of the television production at the World Championships to be held on 29 May to 5 June 2017 in Dusseldorf Germany will be the best yet.   The broadcast will use an Aerial Cam for the first time ever in table tennis which has been used successfully in Football and Cricket over the past few years. The camera that moves along wires will allow TV viewers to get up close and personal to their table tennis idols.   In addition to Aerial Cam the TV production will also use ball tracking technology for the first time. Japanese leaders in ball tracking DataStadium will be supplying the service which will give fans a unique insight into ball placement strategies of the players. In addition to displaying ball placement DataStadium will also display ball speed and much more!   Arguably the biggest addition to the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships is the live daily show called Liebherr Live. Liebherr Live will be a 20-30 minute live show streamed on ITTF’s Facebook and itTV platforms that will recap all the exciting moments and action of the day interview players and guests as well as preview the action for the next day.   Liebherr Live will be not just intuitive but also fun and exciting as fans will get to see their favorite players like they have never seen them before.   Commenting on Liebherr’s sponsorship of the live daily show Mr. Andreas BÖHM the Managing Director of Liebherr-International AG stated: “Liebherr has been a long term partner of the ITTF and have seen their events and products grow over the years. We are very happy to see that the ITTF is continually innovating ways in the promotion of table tennis through social and digital media. For this reason Liebherr is excited about the prospect of Liebherr Live as it gives table tennis fans an extra layer of insight and intrigue into the biggest table tennis event on earth the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships.”   Supplementing the above high level premium content the ITTF will have a full video crew in Dusseldorf supplying all its members and continents TV news content of their players to ensure that the event is covered on TV in their country as well on their social media platforms.   Finally ITTF can assure that fans will experience the Liebherr 2017 World Table Tennis Championships like no others with eight tables streamed live on tv.ITTF.com as well as live Facebook streams from the training hall and revolutionary 360 cameras!   This World Championships is guaranteed to be one to remember!