Mima ITO and Miu HIRANO’s record breaking women’s doubles win at the GAC Group 2014 World Tour German Open has been officially recognized by the Guinness World Records ITO and HIRANO became the youngest ever winner of an ITTF World Tour event when they became the women’s doubles champions in Magdeburg Germany when they were just 13 years old with a combined age of 27 years and 145 days. The talented duo received plaques commemorating their achievements in a special ceremony organized by Guinness World Records during the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Japan in Kobe Japan. During the ceremony a Guinness World Records representative stated: “This record is very special due to the immense talent of these two girls. Today is a bright day celebrating this exceptional record which I am sure will not be broken for a long time.” ITO who has now ranked 9th in the world at just 14 years of age stated: “I am very grateful to everyone who helped me break this record. The day we won in Germany was very emotional and a day that I will never forget.” ITO is used to breaking records with the Japanese superstar already becoming the youngest ever winner of an ITTF Junior event at 10 years of age the same age that she won a match at the Senior Japan National Championships which has never been done before. HIRANO who also has a bright future ahead of her added: “I am so proud of this record. I will continue practicing hard so I can be the best table tennis player that I can and create more history for Japan.” Both players are now heading to the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Super Korea Open being held in Incheon where they will hope to add more titles to their ever growing collection.
Referees happy with the start of the competition in Tampere
The European Veterans Championships is playing according to the international table tennis rules of ITTF. ETTU-Regulations for the EVC according to the ETTU Handbook are respected. That means the organizer provides umpires for the European Championships Competition and the final stages of the Consolation Competition. In the qualifying groups members of the groups who are not playing makes themselves available as umpires. In Tampere Germany’s SCHNABEL Estonia’s Poru BAZZI of Switzerland MIETTINEN of Finland ZAPATA of Spain and WADSTEN of Sweden are on duty . ” The beginning of the tournament was nearly perfect without any doubt! Small issues und discussions are normal but all players are very friendly and fair. The first two days we are playing without international Umpires. So the table managers have sometimes a very hard job” explained Umpires and Referees Committee Chairman Gerhard SCHNABEL.
Finns even arranged good weather for European Veterans Championships
Proceedings were officially opened in a ceremony on the centre of Tampere which is incredibly warm considering we are in the frozen north European Veterans Championships in Finland was officially open. Yesterday on a training day there was not a spare table in the competition and the training area as nearly 2 000 competitors from more than 30 countries on more than 130 tables learnt how to say ‘Do you want a knock’ in everyone’s languages. Friendships and camaraderie were the order of the day . Proceedings were ‘officially opened’ in a ceremony on the centre of Tampere which is incredibly warm considering we are in the frozen north. The Finns even arranged good weather for event. There is also a music festival this week so the table tennis fraternity took over the vast marquee in the centre with about 1 000 players coaches and partners participating in the official opening ceremony. President of Finnish Table Tennis Association Esko HEIKKINEN welcomed the visitors from home and abroad to Tampere. He expressed his pride in hosting the biggest table tennis event ever to take place in Finland and wanted everyone not only to enjoy the table tennis but to experience the midnight sun and the unique atmosphere from this united veterans table tennis community. Zdenko KRIZ Chairman of the ETTU’s veteran’s committee came straight from the airport to add his thanks support and best wishes to the European table tennis family. He spoke of renewing old friendships and making new contacts experiences and memories. Entertainment was provided by a male voice choir who served us some typical Finnish ballads and a few foot stomping hand clapping numbers. The artistic gymnasts also performed a few twists and turns and had everyone sharing the mood in their last number of ‘And I’m feeling good…..’ Finally the deputy mayors told us about the sporting traditions of Tampere mainly as a city united by sport and divided by two ice hockey teams….. and then declared the event officially open to a spontaneous round of applause. Last night friendship and a united veterans table tennis community has a good feeling of ‘love-all’ as drinks and stories and pictures are shared in the Finnish sunshine. Today a different ‘love-all’ starts the competitive side of the tournament when players begin the road to medals.
European Games was an unforgettable moment in history
Chair of the Baku 2015 European Games Organising Committee and First Lady of Azerbaijan Merhiban ALIYEVA last night praised all those who took part for ‘making the European Games an unforgettable festival of sport.’ The flame was extinguished in a spectacular Closing Ceremony in Baku tonight which saluted those that had contributed to 17 days of sporting and organizational excellence. In her closing address to the packed 68 000-seater Olympic Stadium in Baku the First Lady said: “We are proud that the first European Games were held in our country. We are proud that within only two and a half years Azerbaijan has turned its commitment into a reality and delivered a sporting event of the highest standard. Over the last 17 days we witnessed unity solidarity and friendship between European nations. As the curtain falls on this celebration of sport and friendship I’m overwhelmed by an enormous sense of pride in our country and our people. The past 17 days will live forever in our hearts. It will be an unforgettable moment in our history that passes down through the generations.” She thanked the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham ALIYEV and the entire population of the country for the support they gave the Azerbaijan athletes who finished second in the medal table. “The entire nation is proud of our athletes. They have won a total of 56 medals – including 21 gold medals – and finished second in the overall medals table. Athletes of Azerbaijan your success makes you a great example to the next generation ” she added. To the cheers of the packed stadium the First Lady continued with praise for the European Olympic Committees the volunteers from both Azerbaijan and abroad as well as the Games Organising Committee. She thanked EOC President Patrick HICKEY for his ‘vision and determination (that) turned the idea of a European Games into a reality’ and the Chair of the Coordination Commission Spyros CAPRALOS for ‘his invaluable guidance during our preparations.’ And a special thanks were reserved for the ‘wonderful volunteers’ when the First Lady said: “We could not have staged this event without you. Your enthusiasm and professionalism has helped us to bring the spirit of Baku 2015 to life. A country which has such a talented youth has a great future. “A big thank you also to our international volunteers. You travelled to Azerbaijan from across Europe to help us organise this historic event and to be a part of this festival of sport and friendship. We will miss you and hope you will come back. Azerbaijan opened its arms and its heart to Europe. We welcomed old friends and made new ones. This evening we say goodbye to you all. But we hope to see you back in Azerbaijan for future events.” In 2016 Baku will host the forty-second Chess Olympiad and the Formula One European Grand Prix. In 2017 it will stage the Fourth Islamic Solidarity Games. And in 2020 four matches in the European Championships.
Players from 35 countries on duty in Tampere
The venue with 90 brand new STIGA tables awaits tomorrow’s matches at Exhibition and Sports Centre Two years ago in the ÖVB-Arena Germany clinched 17 gold medals tomorrow when the battles starts at Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre at the European Veterans Championships we will see if anyone can surpass this result. The venue with 90 brand new STIGA tables is open for players from 35 countries. In most interesting over 40 category last year’s champion Mukhamed KUSHKHOV will not be on duty in Finland but vice champion Dmitrij MAZUNOV arrived in Tampere. YI Ding of Austria will play in over 50 category. In Women’s 40 Singles Elena LAMONOS of Germany the medal winner from Germany will not play but Doubles Champions Elena CHUNIKHINA and Larisa LAVRUKHINA of Russia arrived. Here you have the link for draw & results.
XU Xin Wins 11th ITTF World Tour Title at Japan Open
XU Xin has broken the hearts of the capacity Japanese crowd by defeating local hero Maharu YOSHIMURA at the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Japan Open men’s singles final Chinese XU won his 11th ITTF World Tour title over the surprise finalist 22 year old YOSHIMURA who made his way to the final from qualification stage 9-11 11-2 14-12 11-7 11-7 today in Kobe Japan. XU who won both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles World Championships crowns earlier this year stated “This is my first Japan Open so it is very special for me to win here. Yoshimura played amazingly well. He is still young and is going to be a big rival to me and the Chinese team in the future.” “He surprised me in the first set and the large crowd supporting him put me off my game a little. I made some adjustments in the second game and I was very relieved when I won it to make it 1-1 as then I believed I could win. Winning ITTF World Tour titles are always a great feeling!” CHEN Meng proved that she is still a top force in women’s table tennis despite not being selected for the singles line-up at the recent World Championships team by becoming the women’s champion. Making the title even sweeter for CHEN is that she shocked the current World Champion and world number one DING Ning in the semi final to show her strength.In the women’s singles final CHEN won a tight seven-games battle against compatriot ZHU Yuling who she also beat in the 2011 World Junior Table Tennis Championships final 13-11 6-11 5-11 11-4 11-5 6-11 11-7 to win her fifth ITTF World Tour title. After her victory the excited 21 year old stated “To win the tournament is very important but more than that is to improve as a player in each match which will hopefully lead me to becoming the World Champion one day.” “I am happy to win this championship. My last two matches were very tough this victory will give me a lot of confidence in the future.” World Champion MA Long (CHN) made up for his shocking secondround defeat in the singles which was also his first defeat in 2015 by winning the men’s doubles with teammate and singles champion XU Xin. The due had too much experience in the crucial moments against their Chinese colleagues FAN Zhendong & SHANG Kun in the final winning 11-8 13-11 7-11 10-12 11-8 to ensure the reigning World Champion does not go home empty handed. China’s defensive pair of LIU Fei & WU Yang continued China’s golden day by defeating Singapore’s LIN Ye & ZHOU Yihan 11-6 7-11 11-9 11-5 to win the Women’s doubles title on their first partnership. With China sweeping the titles in the senior’s events it was Japan’s time to shine in the under 21 category. Hitomi SATO (JPN) won her fourth consecutive under 21 women’s title to score a record of 7 titles under her belt. Teammate Yuya OSHIMA (JPN) made up for losing the under 21 finals at the two previous ITTF World Tour events to become the champion in front of his home crowd. The world’s best table tennis players now head to the GAC Group 2015 World Tour Korea Open (Super Series) being held in Incheon to fight for more Race to Lisbon points.
MONDAY – The deadline for European Club Competition Men and Women
Club entries have to be done by the national associations using the online entry system The deadline for entering clubs to the European Club Competitions is next Monday 29th June 2015. Club entries have to be done by the national associations using the online entry system https://www.ttm.co.at/onlineentries/users/login. For login please use the same as you have used for past events. Please do not wait until the last day to enter so that we can guarantee to be able to help you in case of problems. All relevant documents you can find hereFor TTCLM For ECLW For ETTU Cup Men For ETTU Cup Women
DTTB and Jorg BITZIGEIO go separate ways
Jorg BITZIGEIO: “After almost 10 very intense years in which we have worked successfully together it is now time for a change” Jorg BITZIGEIO and the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) will split up. The 38-year-old National Coach and certified Sports Scientist and the 8th largest Olympic sports federation in Germany terminate their contract on 31 July. The former National Women’s Coach recently worked as National Youth Coach at the National German Table Tennis Centre in Düsseldorf and as interim National Junior Girls’ Coach. Furthermore he was in charge for talent scouting and contributed to the national coaches’ education and further training. As part of the ongoing restructuring in the past few months on the coaches sector and strategic planning within the DTTB association and BITZIGEIO had developed different ideas about future cooperation and about the orientation in the field of competitive sports. Then both sides agreed to go separate ways. “I regret that Jorg is leaving us but I think it is good that he now takes on a new challenge ” said Heike AHLERT DTTB Vice President in charge of competitive sports and added: “These were very successful years. Considering his knowledge and commitment I am sure that he would be a benefit for any new employer. I wish him all the best”. Jorg BITZIGEIO said: “After almost 10 very intense years in which we have worked successfully together it is now time for a change. I am looking forward to what the future will bring to new and interesting challenges. Because of my broad education and experience in competitive sports I could imagine either staying coach or switching to sports management”. BITZIGEIO studied Sports Sciences at renowned German Sport University Cologne and has a major in Economics and Management . From 2006 to 2012 he was National Women’s Coach trained and coached among others WU Jiaduo who won the singles’ title at the 2009 European Championships in 2011 Irene IVANCAN was the EC runner-up. At the 2010 World Championships in Moscow his women’s team sensationally won bronze losing only to World Champion Singapore. In 2012 Jorg BITZIGEIO changed his position to become coach of the residential school children at the National German Table Tennis Centre. There he shaped among others the talents Nina MITTELHAM and Alena LEMMER who won 5 titles at European Youth Championships.
Sandra DEATON has been re-elected as Chairman of Table Tennis England
Current Deputy Chairman Susie HUGHES and Treasurer Keith THOMAS were also re-elected Sandra DEATON has been re-elected as Chairman of Table Tennis England for a four-year-term. Sandra who took over as Chairman in March 2014 following the sudden death of Andy SEWARD in January 2014 said: “I’m delighted it was such an overwhelming mandate. It’s an honour and a privilege to carry on working as Chairman of Table Tennis England and to help move our sport forward and become a world-leading governing body. I’d like to thank all the company members who voted for any of the candidates.” DEATON is also ETTU Youth Committee Chairwoman. “On behalf of the ETTU Executive Board and the ETTU Secretariat I am taking this opportunity to congratulate you with your re-election as Chairman of Table Tennis England. We wish you and Table Tennis England much success and good luck in achieving your goals as always in close cooperation with ETTU. We are looking forward to meeting you again in Bratislava ” stated ETTU President Ronald Kramer in his letter to Sandra DEATON.
Inge-Brigitte HERMANN 93-years-old in Tampere
The European veterans Championships starts next week Table tennis Veteran European Championships in Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre will begin next week. One of the most interesting and at the same time the oldest participant is German Inge-Brigitte HERMANN who – at the age of 93 – is playing WS85. The Germans consider her as the world’s oldest known active competitive tennis player. A couple of German TV channels are planning to follow HERMANN´s representations on Tampere tables. BBC in turn is planning to bring in a document group which will explore the importance of table tennis in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. More than 1800 participants the competition requires quite massive preparations. Local organizer PT 75 has in recent times finalized the tables needed for a total of 130. Preparations are well underway and organizers are expecting a total of about 3 000 foreign and domestic guests to Tampere. Games will begin on Monday June 29 at 9 am and will last the whole week.
