With the very inspiring opening ceremony STAG 2017 European Under 21 Championships officially started in Russia’s City of Sochi.   As a host Alexander BABAKOV president of TTFR welcomed the guests in the Olympic town.   “We are very proud that inaugural European Under 21 Championships was brought here in Russia. Sochi is absolutely the right place to host such an event and we are thankful for opportunity to bring the best young players from all over the Europe here. The venue is magnificent and I am sure that athletes will enjoy it. The city has already proven that it can organize big events at the highest level and I`m sure that this Championships will not be an exception. It is a very big step for the whole sport and table tennis in particular in our country. And it is my pleasure to already congratulate all participants at this tournament.”   Everyone awaited the start of the Championships with curiosity but the inaugural competition showed that there was no need to worry. The list of top players is almost complete.   “I want to thank the Russian Table Tennis Federation for taking up the glove and organising the very first European Under 21 Championships. All the organizing committee deserves great applause for their hard work. It is necessary to bridge the gap between seniors and juniors and necessary to take the step to introduce the Under 21 event ” said ETTU President Ronald KRAMER before he declared the event open.  

With the very inspiring opening ceremony STAG 2017 European Under 21 Championships officially started in Russia’s City of Sochi.   As a host Alexander BABAKOV president of TTFR welcomed the guests in the Olympic town.   “We are very proud that inaugural European Under 21 Championships was brought here in Russia. Sochi is absolutely the right place to host such an event and we are thankful for opportunity to bring the best young players from all over the Europe here. The venue is magnificent and I am sure that athletes will enjoy it. The city has already proven that it can organize big events at the highest level and I`m sure that this Championships will not be an exception. It is a very big step for the whole sport and table tennis in particular in our country. And it is my pleasure to already congratulate all participants at this tournament.”   Everyone awaited the start of the Championships with curiosity but the inaugural competition showed that there was no need to worry. The list of top players is almost complete.   “I want to thank the Russian Table Tennis Federation for taking up the glove and organising the very first European Under 21 Championships. All the organizing committee deserves great applause for their hard work. It is necessary to bridge the gap between seniors and juniors and necessary to take the step to introduce the Under 21 event ” said ETTU President Ronald KRAMER before he declared the event open.  

In the eve of the STAG 2017 European Under 21 Championships hosts alongside ETTU high representatives and members of the Russia’s national team held the press conference. Representative of the city of Sochi Sergey VOLYNSKIY welcomed the guests alongside the First Vice President of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia Vladimir GRIGORIEV joined by the ETTU Youth Committee Chairwoman Sandra DEATON and the members of the Russia’s team.   “In next few days we will see all of the results of hard work that was done by ETTU and TTFR to organize this event. I want to underline a huge contribution of Igor LEVITIN the chairman of TTFR Executive Board and President of our federation Alexander BABAKOV to make this project successful. I hope that this tournament will be a celebration of the sport for all of the participants. I want also thank representatives of Krasnodarskiy region and the city of Sochi for their help in organizing this event ” said Vladimir GRIGORIEV Vice president of TTFR.   It is the first Under 21 European Championships.     “ETTU put tremendous effort to organize the event for this age group which in the past has very little opportunities to bridge the gap between the young and senior categories. It is a great gap between junior competition and major circuit. This event will bring the best European players under the age of 21 and I`m sure that it will be organized as well as 2015 European Championships in Ekaterinburg “ stated ETTU Youth Committee Chairwoman Sandra DEATON.   Igor RUBTSOV head coach of Russian junior team added:   “Our main goal here is to get medals. Of course we want to show good results in front of our people. Saadi is our leader as number 10 seed but we hope that Konstantin CHERNOV and Vladimir SIDORENKO will also deliver success. The gap in class between players is not so evident that`s why there are will be a lot of contenders for the medal rostrum in men`s field. “   Andrey KRUTOV head coach of Russian junior team (women) explained:   “We have been working very hard in last few weeks. First it was camp with the focus on physical preparation and then our players got the opportunity to feel competitive spirit at the ITTF Hungarian Open. The final camp was here in Sochi. We have great starting positions and all of our players are seeded in Top 10 which says a lot. Our main rivals here are very strong girls from Germany and Romania.”  

In the eve of the STAG 2017 European Under 21 Championships hosts alongside ETTU high representatives and members of the Russia’s national team held the press conference. Representative of the city of Sochi Sergey VOLYNSKIY welcomed the guests alongside the First Vice President of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia Vladimir GRIGORIEV joined by the ETTU Youth Committee Chairwoman Sandra DEATON and the members of the Russia’s team.   “In next few days we will see all of the results of hard work that was done by ETTU and TTFR to organize this event. I want to underline a huge contribution of Igor LEVITIN the chairman of TTFR Executive Board and President of our federation Alexander BABAKOV to make this project successful. I hope that this tournament will be a celebration of the sport for all of the participants. I want also thank representatives of Krasnodarskiy region and the city of Sochi for their help in organizing this event ” said Vladimir GRIGORIEV Vice president of TTFR.   It is the first Under 21 European Championships.     “ETTU put tremendous effort to organize the event for this age group which in the past has very little opportunities to bridge the gap between the young and senior categories. It is a great gap between junior competition and major circuit. This event will bring the best European players under the age of 21 and I`m sure that it will be organized as well as 2015 European Championships in Ekaterinburg “ stated ETTU Youth Committee Chairwoman Sandra DEATON.   Igor RUBTSOV head coach of Russian junior team added:   “Our main goal here is to get medals. Of course we want to show good results in front of our people. Saadi is our leader as number 10 seed but we hope that Konstantin CHERNOV and Vladimir SIDORENKO will also deliver success. The gap in class between players is not so evident that`s why there are will be a lot of contenders for the medal rostrum in men`s field. “   Andrey KRUTOV head coach of Russian junior team (women) explained:   “We have been working very hard in last few weeks. First it was camp with the focus on physical preparation and then our players got the opportunity to feel competitive spirit at the ITTF Hungarian Open. The final camp was here in Sochi. We have great starting positions and all of our players are seeded in Top 10 which says a lot. Our main rivals here are very strong girls from Germany and Romania.”  

STAG European Under 21 Championships   One of the main Russia’s aces in their pursuit for the medal at the inaugural STAG European Under 21 Championships is Maria MALANINA. The competition starts on Thursday and gathered the best player from the Old Continent. Maria will face enormous challenge in the duels against already established stars as Adina DIACONU of Romania Nina MITTELHAM of Germany…   MALANINA knows how to win the medals for sure. Already she clinched gold medal in Junior Girls Doubles Event with Daria CHERNORAY in 2015 at the European Youth Championships in Bratislava she is Junior Girls` Singles runner-up at 2015 Spanish Junior & Cadet Open – ITTF Junior Circuit in Platja d’Aro Junior Girls` Singles bronze winner at 2014 Italian Junior & Cadet Open – ITTF Premium Junior Circuit in Lignano …   In last few weeks the Russia’s team was in full swing. They work hard to be ready for the challenge at the home soil.   “I think we are ready to show our full potential in Sochi. I went for a short trip to Budapest but it was the part of the process. Now we are at the finish of training camp and pretty much ready to go ” explained MALANINA.   – Is Sochi a special place for such big event?   “For sure. This is beautiful city and one of the most developed centers of Russia in terms of sport infrastructure. It came to no surprise that this event was granted to Sochi. “   – How important is to host the inaugural tournament in Russia?   “It is very important because it shows that ETTU believe in development of our program. I hope that we will inspire new generation with our play. Table tennis is a popular sport in Russia but I think we could do even better.”   – Who are your main rivals?   “You can name a lot of them. Romanian girls are very strong and definitely will be at the top of the list. Nina MITTELHAM is one of those favorites. But this is big tournament everything could happen so you got to be prepare for every opponent.”   – And what about Russian team?   “ We will do our best in front of our fans. I think you should really consider the power of our roster also. Three girls including me are seeded in Top 10 and I hope that it will be reflected in our performance.”   – Any wishes before the tournament?   “I wish everybody a good luck and happy time in Sochi. Hope the tournament will be a huge success for participants and for the city!”

STAG European Under 21 Championships   This week Sochi in Russia will host inaugural STAG European Under 21 Championships. We are only three days away from the tournament that gathers 55 men and 54 women with the very top players from the rankings listed in Russia too. Top seeds are Anton KALLBERG of Sweden Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia Darko JORGIC of Slovenia and among top 10 Russia’s best player Sadi ISMAILOV.   Sadi ISMAILOV won silver medal in Cadet Boys Doubles Event with Konstantin CHERNOV in 2011 at the European Youth Championships in Kazan he is Men’s Singles event winner of 2015 Universiade Gwangju Korea Republic Junior Boys` Singles runner-up at 2014 Cook Islands Junior & Cadet Open – ITTF Junior Circuit Avarua Junior Boys` Singles winner at 2013 Serbian Junior & Cadet Open – ITTF Junior Circuit in Vrnjacka Banja as well as Men’s Doubles event runner-up at 2016 ITTF World Tour Belarus Open in Minsk.   “ The preparations are in a full mode. The final training camp has already started in Sochi. Only few days left and we hope that everybody will be 100% ready before the start of the tournament ” stated Sadi.   -Are you excited about the tournament being held in Sochi?   “I am looking forward to this tournament because as everybody know home ground is always a big advantage and opportunity to show off in front of domestic fans. Sochi is already famous for hosting Olympics but it could offer much more than that. Of course you can`t really enjoy the Black Sea during winter period but still could find a lot of interesting places to visit.”   What are you personal expectations?   “The expectations here are high and we all want to deliver success. Of course I want to succeed too but only game will tell the full story. “   – How would you describe chances of Russian team?   “We have talented team and three of our players are seeded in Top 10 so of course we expect to get medals.”   – Who are your main rivals?   “ Our adversaries here are tough and I don`t really expect an easy walk even in the opening round. Obviously you can look at top seeds and see huge potential out there. Some guys are already campaigning for their national teams. It says a lot!”   – How important is this tournament for table tennis community in Russia?   “It is a big event not only for Sochi but for the whole table tennis community of Russia. It really shows that we are still at the top in terms of attracting big tournaments. The last time it was European Championships in 2015 and now we are here” stated ISMAILOV.