2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Halmstad The preliminary phase of the 2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Halmstad concluded with many upsets as everyone expects. At the Men’s Event the only half of the top seeds justified their status as the end. Among the players who created the big uspets were Benedek OLAH. The player from Finland beat Linor CITAKU of Kosovo. «Against CITAKU i was relaxed with the really good feeling for the game. He could not cope with my service so I can control the match. To be honest I was much more focused on the situation on the table near me where KOU Lei and Daniel KOSIBA were playing. My top position in the Group depended on that match» said OLAH. KOU beat KOSIBA in straight games so OLAH finished the first phase of the competition in the top spot after being seeded only at tposition no. three at the begining. “My victory over KOU Lei yesterday was the best in career. He is number 46 in the World and so far the best ranked player I have beat was TAN Riuwu no. 89. It seams that I have a feeling for the players with Chinese origns playing in Europe. I couldn’t repeat the success against KOSIBA. We know each other to well. Our friends-rivals relitionships did not work in my favor this time.” KOU Lei of Ukraine finished second in the group after victory over Daniel KOSIBA of Hungary. “I made my life difficult by losing against Benedek OLAH straight games match at the opening round. Unfortunately I came here only late on Monday due the flight cancelations. I spent 15 hours in traveling and I was very tired. That is why I am very happy with the situation ended. I am in the good rhythm now and looking forward next duel ” said KOU Lei. WANG Zengyi of Poland justified his status by beating Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU of Greece for the top spot in the Group. “For me is difficult to play against PAPAGEORGIOU’s style of play. He has pimple backhand which is dangerous for me. That is why I had to put so many variations in my service game. I had to stop him from the begining. I played short and long balls and constantly changing the rhythm. That opened some space for the good rellies. I also felt good and moved very well ” explained WANG. Among the winners were also Jakub DYJAS of Poland whobeat Hunor SZOCS of Romania in the quest for the top spot. “In last two occasision I won our encounters but each time it was full seven games match. I always suffered playing against him. It was the same today. I was two games in reverse before I changed my tactics. I tried with the straight service; he could not return well. It made easier for me to open the game and to play shorts balls close to the net.” Bojan TOKIC of Slovenia beat Robin DEVOS of belgium but just to finish at the third position in the group. “I have been at two Olympics so far and I think this will be the last. Each time it took three or four years of my life. It is so heavy tournament and it is so hard to cope with so much pressure. Today against DEVOS I awas three games in advance then I lost a focus for a moment and the things went bad. Luckuly I recovered.” Acontary to TOKIC who sliped from position one to three Solt PETE of Serbia progresed fro place three to one. In the third round he accounted for Alfredas UDRA of Lithuania. “Everybody is counting points here. I am trying not to think about the Olympics and all those figures. However after hard work in the opening matches and victories against Zoran PRIMORAC and Daniel GORAK I gave my best to withstand any kind of surprise from Alfredas UDRA. I did not want to give away hard earned points from yesterday.” His teammate Aleksnadar KARAKASEVIC also upset the rankings by beating Tomas KONECNY. “I have so much difficulties adjusting to new balls. The return of serve was my specialty but here I am struggling with that part of the game. I moved very good I felt good at the table but I struggled with the return. After second game I managed somehow to put that thing in order and I won.”
Great day for Vlona MALOKU
2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament At the opening day of the 2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Swedish city of Halmstad Vlona MALOKU of Kosovo was in charge for the top rated surprise. On her way to first ever victory for Kosovo at the Olympic qualifications she beat Amelie SOLJA of Austria. “SOLJA’s style is very difficult for me. I was under stress at the beginning how to set the tactics. I started with the backhand but after the second game I find my way in through the backhand. “ Vlona MALOKU started her career in Slovenia but then she moved to Kosovo. “I played for Slovenia at the European Championships in Bratislava and I also played at the lot of tournaments in the region. Then I moved to Pristina ” explained MALOKU who underlined the differences between Kosovo and the rest of the teams. “I am university student now. For all of us table tennis is hobby because there is no financial support for our sport. We did not have any preparations for the qualifications. When you look around you see all those professional players and we can not afford it.” In much dramatic manner Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN of Romania beat Rahel ASCHWANDEN of Switzerland. “After a long time I do not feel pain at the tournament. Before European championships I suffered from pain in the back after at the preparations in Korea and the World Championships my shoulder was injured…And finally after long time I am painless. I can consider that as a very good shape ” said Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN. Both players are member of the Werner SCHLAGER Academy. “We are practicing together so we know each other very well. Still she surprised me. Her service game improved very much ” added Daniela. Renata STRBIKOVA of Czech Republic joined her with the victory over Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy. “It is cliché..First match is always hard; we are nervous…. However I am not under stress. I have been to the Olympics before and if I manage to go again it will be nice. I was only little bit surprise by the aggressive way of play that PICCOLIN showed.” Katarzyna GRZYBOWSKA of Poland was relaxed after the victory over Eline LOYEN of Belgium. “This is very special tournament. The mental pressure is greater then at the other tournaments. How you cope with the stress is more important then against who you are playing.”
Match in the Mining Truck – Austria vs. Germany
With a score of 3:2 the men’s German table tennis players pipped their rivals from Austria to the post during the “Match in the Mining Truck”. And thereby succeeded in an (unofficial) revenge after a defeat that the Germans had suffered last year during the 2015 European championship final. The LIEBHERR trade fair stand had a real sporty feel to it on the second day of the Bauma 2016 trade fair: The German national table tennis team met their Austrian rivals for a “Match in the Mining Truck”. Leading their teams European record champion Timo BОLL from Germany and the 2003 world champion Werner SCHLAGER from Austria played in the 130 m³ loading dump body from a Liebherr T 264 mining truck with the Germans just managing to win 3:2. “Table tennis in a truck – it is something the world has never seen. A great backdrop for our unconventional re-match against Austria. It’s really hard to imagine the shear size unless you were actually there. It was so impressive that I could barely concentrate on the game” said Timo BOLL. “It was a lot of fun to play in these unusual but impressive conditions against our German friends – a European championship re-match of a very different kind” Werner SCHLAGER reported. The table tennis teams from Germany and Austria competed against each other for the first time since the European championship final in 2015. Playing for Germany were Timo BOLL Bastian STEGER and Jörg ROSSKOPF; for Austria it was Werner SCHLAGER Chen WEIXING and Stefan FEGERL. The “Match in the Mining Truck” was presented by ZDF sports commentator Norbert KÖNIG. By iebherr-bauma.com/en/deu/start/start-page.html
Paul DRINKHALL forgot bad experience from Swedish open
2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament The member of the medal winning team at the PERFECT World Championships in Malaysia Paul DRINKHALL beat Florent LAMBIET at the opening day of the 2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Swedish city of Halmstad. The victory did not come easy. Englishman overcame young Belgium’s player by the very narrowest of margins. “Two years ago Florent beat me at the Swedish open but we played three or four matches at that time in Belgium’s League. He is very tough adversary. Today I was on the top of the game most of the time. I gave him to many balls by making easy mistakes not so easy but unusual for me. I was not afraid in close situation because I always felt I am controlling the game ” said DRINKHALL. Emmanuel LEBESSON of France beat Lubomir PISTEJ of Slovakia to underline his status. “When you see the match ended in straight games it looks like the easy one but this one was not. In two previous occasions I lost against PISTEJ and I was deeply unhappy when I saw the draw. However my service game was very good today; he failed to find the answer. Good start gave me decent advantage ” said LEBESSON. LEBESSON became the father during the World Championships month ago in Malaysia. “It happened just before our quarterfinal match. Emotionally the birth of my son was very big moment for me. After Championships I took some time of to be with the family. I did not make a long break but for sure my focus was also on my family.” Alvaro ROBLES of Spain joined him at he today’s winners list by beating Matiss BURGIS of Latvia. “I was very cautious because I have not seen Matiss BURGIS playing for a long time. I had been seeing him in Bundesliga playing two years ago but after that he disappeared. I did not know what to expect. I started very good from the beginning of the match and I managed to be in front in every game. It paid off ” explained Alvaro ROBLES. Alvaro praised the conditions in Ochsenhausen that helped him being ready for the challenge in the Halmstad. “We are working in excellent condition throughout the year; a lot of matches and tournaments also help me being in good shape. However we have been in the full speed in recent period to get ready for Qualifications. Jakub DYJAS of Poland also faced few very hard moments against Pavel PLATONOV of Belarus. “Last time we meet at the World Championships in Malyasia and I beat PLATONOV 3:0. Before this match I knew it would not go that easy. It proved right; it was much harder. I suffered from lack of confidence at the beginning but I did not let get it on my way. I built up the confidence by improving my game point by point. My service was also very bad at the beginning but I changed it. It disturbed PLATONOV’s rhythm; he started to struggle with his blocks.”
PRIMORAC aiming the eighth consecutive Olympic Games
2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament The start of the 2016 ITTF-European Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Swedish city of Halmstad proved once again how different is this tournament from all the others. With such big think in stake like the place at the Olympic Games Qualifications has the rules of its own. Judging by the results on the field the first rule is: better not to think about it. One of the first casualties of the day was KOU Lei of Ukraine. Top ranked player in the Group KOU Lei listed at no.46 suffered at the hands of Finland’s Benedk OLAH named at no.128. “I was focused from the beginning and I took the best from the fact that KOU made a slight mistake by choosing the tactics. He played on my backhand and that was something that works very well for me today. He could not beat me in that part.” OLAH spoke about his preparations. “In last eight months I went through hell. I did everything I could to be ready for the qualifications. I worked every day on service fitness trainings tactics… I did not allowed me to rest. There was only one goal on my mind. It started to shows on results and I am riding on the good wave now.” Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic presently named at no.59 in the global order was beaten by the Slovak Republic’s Bai He named at no.154. Zoran PRIMORAC beat Udra ALFREDAS on his journey toward possible appearance in an eighth consecutive Olympic Games. “For me the big victory is to be here to play against this guys and most importantly to enjoy the game after all these years. Each match each victory is the big deal for me. The result is something that comes from that feeling ” said PRIMORAC. The match against ALFREDAS lasted full seven games. “I was in really good shape with the form going up on each day before the World Championships. I stared to play good there but the knee and back injury spoiled my plans. Luckily I find the way to cure the injury but I lost the rhythm and little bit the confidence. I came in Halmstad nervous knowing that I am not in the desired shape. However I managed to win and that bust my confidence. After victory in such close matches and winning the almost lost duels it makes you stronger.”
Big things are coming for the team of Sweden
Due the security reasons ITTF – European Olympic Singles Qualifications previously being allocated to Istanbul moved to Halmstad. In a very short notice Swedish Table Tennis Association faced and successfully mastered the challenge. The competition starts tomorrow in great Halmstad Arena and most of the teams were already here at the morning trainings. The team of Sweden had few more duties than the others. Media conference radio interviews…. What was your reaction when you heard the tournament will be played at your home soil? “The reaction was very positive. It is good thing for the Swedish table tennis. It is good for us to play at home soil in front of our supporters. Not to mention it is very good not to travel if there is a possibility ” explained Mattias KARLSSON. Kristian KARLSSON agreed: “It is exactly my point. We do not feel the pressure because we had played so many important tournaments here. On the other side opportunity to play in front of home crowd is as always something we are looking forward. It is first time that we are playing at the Olympic Qualifications but that do not change the thing.” The playing schedule is very tight and there is no time for long preparations. “We do not feel any lack of games. The tournaments the Leagues the Table Tennis Championships Men there are plenty of matches we had in recent time. However we managed to have one week for training and to England. We worked together with the England and Denmar teams ” explained Kristian. Two places on offer three players of the Swedish team are on duty in Halmstad. Kristian Karlsson Mattias KARLSSON and Par GERELL will have hard task. “We are seeded on positions 9 10 and 13 so we are all very close. Who ever succeed it will not be the surprise. We all want to gain our ticket for Rio but there are a lot of very good players here and we are all with the same goal ” said Mattias. The team of Sweden recorded very impressive results in past few months. “It is all the part of the very positive atmosphere and good competitive spirit among the players in our team. We are all very close and we are pushing each other to be better. Par example if Mattias beat me it just pushes me forward to work harder. You can feel good energy flowing. And that is not all. We have few more youngsters with very good results. Very big things are coming for Sweden for sure ” said Kristian KARLSSON. For sure the future looks bright for Sweden the country with immense traditions in the sport of table tennis .
Kanak Jha Becomes Youngest Ever Male Table Tennis Olympian
15 year old Kanak Jha is heading to Rio 2016 American Kanak JHA has become the youngest ever male athlete to qualify for the table tennis event at the Olympic Games. 15-year-old JHA secured his spot at Rio 2016 by defeating USA’s number one Timothy WANG 4-0 at the ITTF-North American Olympic Qualification Tournament which concluded Sunday 10 April in Toronto Canada. JHA who is now the first ever USA athlete born in the 2000’s to become an Olympian stated: “It feels unbelievable to have qualified. I thought I had lost my match in the semifinals but was so relieved when I won. This tournament has been very stressful but in the end it’s all worth it as my dream has came true and I am very excited about going to the Olympic Games.” Joining JHA on the plane to Rio from North America are Canada’s Eugene WANG and USA’s FENG Yijun. Despite Timothy WANG losing to JHA he will still head to Rio as USA’s third player to play in the teams event as USA qualified the one team spot available. America’s Lily ZHANG who qualified for London 2012 Olympic Games secured her second Olympic appearance without losing a match in Toronto. ZHANG who will still just be 20 years old when playing at Rio 2016 stated: “I still can’t believe it! It feels like I’m in a cloud so excited and proud to represent the US at the Olympics. I definitely do think this time around I’ll be more prepared and a little less star struck!” The 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist ZHANG will be joined by America’s WU Yue who secured her spot by winning last year’s Pan American Games plus Canada’s ZHANG Mo who will be competing in her third Olympic Games. As USA secured team qualification ZHENG Jiaqi will also be heading to Rio as USA’s team player. Full list of North American qualified players for Rio 2016: Men WANG Eugene – Canada FENG Yijun – USA JHA Kanak – USA WANG Timothy USA (team only) Women WU Yue – USA ZHANG Lily – USA ZHANG Mo – Canada ZHENG Jiaqi USA (team only)
Norwegian table tennis assosiation looks for the new head coach
Norwegian Table Tennis Association has 5000 members and 122 clubs NATIONAL COACH NORWAY MEN AND WOMEN SENIOR AND JUNIOR The Norwegian Table Tennis Association wants to hire a new head coach in a 100% position for junior and senior men and women in a two years contract. The content of this position Daily training in the Norwegian Table Tennis Center. Make plans for the players in the junior and senior group in close cooperation with the club coaches. Participate as a head coach in international tournaments and championships. Cooperate with the coaches for cadet teams and follow up top talents from the group. Contribute to develop the knowledge for top sports in relevant clubs in Norway. Operationalise the strategy for top sports in Norway in close cooperation with the Norwegian Table Tennis Association. We are looking for a person with the following skills and background Relevant education and experience for the position Experience from playing on a high level Enthusiasm and willingness to walk the extra mile Good social skills as well as communication skills A long term perspective on developing Norwegian table tennis Must manage the English or Norwegian language The applicant must be willing to travel. The applicant must be willing to work on evenings and during weekends The applicant must be willing to live in the Oslo-area. It is a great advantage if the applicant has a driver licence. We can offer: An exiting job in an interesting working environment 100% position for 2 year with a possibility of prolonging the contract Compensation and benefits for 100% position (salary / terms and conditions will be negotiated) The application must be received before 1st May 2016 The application and CV can be sent to Norwegian Table Tennis Assosiation e-mail: bengt.paulsen@bordtennis.no If you have any questions regarding this position please contact Bengt Paulsen +47 90 08 48 62 or Olav Haraldseid +47 91 35 55 16
New newHiTT Academy Malta organized Annual Easter camp HiTT Academy Malta recently organized their annual Easter camp and this year’s special guest coach was Aleksey YEFREMOV ITTF High Performance coach from Belarus. The training camp (from 22 to 27 of
HiTT Academy Malta recently organized their annual Easter camp and this year’s special guest coach was Aleksey YEFREMOV ITTF High Performance coach from Belarus. The training camp (from 22 to 27 of March) was the part of preparations for the Malta National championships. Aleksey worked hand in hand with player coach manager of all Table Tennis in Malta Mario GENOVESE assisted by Katia MIFSUD. Mario Genovese said: “The players trained intensively a total of 16 hours spread over 5 days and engaged well with the ever enthusiastic Aleksey YEFREMOV. The camp covered all aspects of competition tactics strategy and fitness. In total 26 players participated and they are all HiTT Academy Malta members. We had 7 good quality tables big amount of balls water snack for players nothing was missing by very warm organizers from HiTT Academy.” Aleksey: “This was my second visit to Malta first time I was in Valletta in 2009 when I was conducted EUROKIDS training camp. Since that time I keep friendly relation with Mario and really very appreciated his efforts for the best of Malta players and especially for High Impact Table Tennis Academy.” The participants also had a theory session once with the topic “Pressure Tolerance” which was included 4 main points: Handling of pressure during of National and International events Subsiding ad eliminating fear during pressure moments Tactical strategy during pressure Mental preparation to survive stress HiTT Academy Malta regularly promoted table tennis and has regular visits by Internationally recognized coaches and International players. During the recent National Junior Championships HiTT managed to win 14 medals.
EUROTALENTS hopes selection camp in Luxembourg
Five young players were selected and nominated for ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge – Doha 2016 Eurotalents Hopes Selection Camp was held from 4th – 10th of April in Luxembourg in cooperation with FLTT and CTTC-Europe (Luxembourg Table Tennis Association and Chinese Table Tennis College – Europe). Out of 30 players from 14 National Associations and 17 coaches attended the camp. The overall camp program was managed by the head coach Li Xiaodong (CHN) and Martin OSTERMANN (LUX) assistant coaches FENG Zhe (CHN) GAO Xiang (CHN) SHEN Zhujun (LUX) XIA Cheng (LUX). “We had fantastic training conditions and the accommodation food and kindness of our hosts the FLTT but we also received great support on daily basis from 6 Chinese junior sparring partners. We held 10 training sessions including five fitness-training sessions as well as an individual tournament in two sessions. Trainings were held every day in two sessions: the morning session from 9 to 12 the afternoon session from 15 to 18. During the camp two presentations were held with the coaches during which Mr. LI Xiaodong presented coaching procedure with the young players in China. Furthermore we dedicated a lot of time to individual work with all the players who were given some main individual pointers for their future work” explained ETTU Development Manager prof. Neven CEGNAR. CTTC-Europe coaches especially highlighted our common intention to let everyone learn and grasp more advanced ideas techniques tactics and training methods. “We all plan to emphasize the direction and basic of table tennis development requirements on styles and tactics measures and methods of training and raising match playing capability.” On the end of the Camp five young players were selected and nominated for ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge (6 criteria) – Doha 2016: Simon BELIK (CZE) Erik HUZSVAR (HUN) LIU Jamie (ENG) Darya VASILENKA (BLR) Hana ARAPOVIC (CRO).
