French champion Chartres is practically into the quarter final of 2013/14 Men`s European Champions League after just two rounds in Group D. Actual MECL runner-up beat away the best Austrian club Niederosterreich 3:0 (9:3) repeating the result from the op French champion Chartres is practically into the quarter final of 2013/14 Men`s European Champions League after just two rounds in Group D. Actual MECL runner-up beat away the best Austrian club Niederosterreich 3:0 (9:3) repeating the result from the opening round when its rival was ten times European champion Borussia. Host side couldn`t count on its hero from the victory against Borussia (3:2) LEUNG Chu Yan. Stefan FEGERL was posted on no. 1 playing against Par GERELL who won in four games. Austrian missed his last chance in third set when he came from 8:10 to 11:10 but Swede answered by three points in a row to provide 2:1 lead in sets. After that guest controlled the match. For each player on the world is not easy to stay in the game founding itself two sets down against GAO Ning but Daniel HABESOHN managed to level on 2:2. And he did it one step more playing very close fifth set but experience of Singaporean was decisive. Finally Robert GARDOS had an easy job against his team mate from Austrian national team CHEN Weixing. They were leveled until 8:8 in opening set. From that moment the host player took just six points. GARDOS opened third set by 9:0 lead. SVS Niederosterreich – Chartres AS TT 0:3 Stefan FEGERL – Par GERELL 1:3 (8:11 11:9 11:13 6:11) Daniel HABESOHN – GAO Ning 2:3 (4:11 6:11 11:8 11:7 9:11) CHEN Weiwing – Robert GARDOS 0:3 (9:11 3:11 3:11)
Crowded house in Bratislava
No less than 52 outfits is on duty in the team events at the Slovak Cadet Open an ITTF Junior Circuit tournament in the country’s capital city of Bratislava. There are 26 teams in each of the Boys’ Team and Girls’ Team competitions; overall 56 boys and 5 No less than 52 outfits is on duty in the team events at the Slovak Cadet Open an ITTF Junior Circuit tournament in the country’s capital city of Bratislava. There are 26 teams in each of the Boys’ Team and Girls’ Team competitions; overall 56 boys and 57 girls have enrolled in the three day tournament. Germany occupies the top seeded position in the Boys’ Team and Girls’ Team competitions. Gerrit ENGEMANN and Jannik XU form the German Boys’ Team; for the girls it is Jennie WOLF and Luisa SAGER. Second seeds in the Boys’ Team event are Poland represented by Kamil NALEPA and Aleksander WERECKI with Lithuania’s Rimas LESIV and Medardas STANKEVICIUS being the third seeds. The Czech Republic’s Vlastimil BUBEN and Jiri MARTINKO complete the top four names. Meanwhile in the Girls’ Team event Hungary’s Orsolya FEHER and Leonie HARTBRICH form the second seeded outfit. Poland’s Julia SLAZAK and Agata Julia ZAKRZEWSKA are the third seeds with the host nation’s Katarina BELOPOTOCANOVA Ema LABOSOVA and Monika URIKOVA forming the fourth seeded outfit. In the Group stages Germany A easily prevailed against Sweden and Bosnia and Herzegovina to bokk the place among top 8 teams in main draw. In Group B Poland beat Germany and Czech Norway combination. In Group C Spain beat France and Slovakia but suffered by the hands of Germany’s players. Germany C booked second place in the group after they were defeated against France. In Cadet Girls Teams Event Germany A topping the Group with two victories over France and Poland/ Romania team. In Group B Hungary beat Czech Republic and Ireland. In Group C France created big upset. They clinched the top of the Group despite the fact they were seeded at the bottom. Nolwenn FORT and Melissa AUSHALTER overcame Serbia Finland and Slovakia.
Lignano celebrated individual champions
At the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro first part of the tournament is over. Italian city celebrated new champions in individual events. Ukraine is the country with most of the winners followed by Turkey and Poland. Titles a, At the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro first part of the tournament is over. Italian city celebrated new champions in individual events. Ukraine is the country with most of the winners followed by Turkey and Poland. Titles also went to Denmark, Norway, Germany Great Britain, France, Croatia, Serbia, Sweden and Russia. In Women’s Class 1-2 Russia’s Nadezda PUSHPASHEVA clinched the title. In the final she overcame Clara PODDA of Italy again. She did it by same margin 3.0. Dorta BUCLAW of Poland and Isabelle LAFAYE of France clinched bronze. In Class 3 Anna-Carin AHLQUIST of Sweden overcame Fanny BERTRAND of France in the final in straight games. Doris MADER of Austria and Sara HEAD of GB reached semi final. In Class 4-5, Borislava PERIC RANKOVIC is new champion. She overcame Sandra MIKOLASCHEK of Germany. In semis both finalists beat Swede Ingela LUNDBACK and Susan GILROY of GB. In Class 6 Sandra PAOVIC showed her winning spirit and clinched the title unbeaten at the tournament. Raisa CHEBANIKA of Russia clinched silver and Yuliya KLYMENKO of Ukraine and Stephanie GREBE of Germany won bronze. Viktoria SAFONOVA of Ukraine is the champion in Class 7. She beat Yulia OVSYANNIKOVA of Russia in the final. Anne BARNEOUD of France and Kelly VAN ZON of Netherlands are third. In Class 8 Thu KAMKASOMPHOU of France concluded the competition unbeaten. Aida DAHLEN of Norway is second and Zsofia ARLÓY of Hungary with Dajana JASTERZEBSKA of Poland split the bronze. In Class 9 Turkey’s Neslihan KAVAS beat Olga GORSHKALEVA of Russia to clinch the gold. In semis Karolina PEK of Poland and Claire MAIRIE of France lost their duels. In Class 10 Umran ERTIS of Turkey is new champion. Hilal TURKKAN of Turkey suffered by her hands in the final. Semi finalists are Sophie WALLØE of Denmark and Ebru CAN of Turkey. In Class 11 Natalya KOSMINA of Russia overcame Dorota NOWACKA of Poland in the final. Semi finalists are Krystyna SIEMIENIECKA and Monika DOBKO of Poland. In Men’s Class 1 Olympic and World Champion Holger NIKELIS of Germany failed to justified his status. He suffered in the semis by the hands of the winner of the Championships Robert DAVIS of GB. In the final DAVIS beat his compatriot Paul DAVIES. Italy’s Andrea BORGATO lost in semis. In Class 2 Rafal CZUPER of Poland overcame Jiri SUCHANEK of Czech Republic in the final. Oleksandr YEZYK of Ukraine and Jan RIAPOS of Slovakia reached semis. In Class 3 Thomas SCHMIDBERGER of Germany succeeded against Alexander ÖHGREN of Sweden at the last hurdle. Previously finalists overcame Florian MERRIEN of France and Thomas BRUCHLE of Germany. In Class 4 Abdullah OZTURK secured another title for Turkey. Maxime THOMAS of France is second, Peter MIHALIK of Slovakia and Shay SAIDA of Israel reached bronze. In Class 5 Tommy URHAUG of Norway overcame Ali OZTURK of Turkey in the final. Mitar PALIKUCA of Serbia and Valentin BAUS of Germany are third. In Class 6 Peter ROSENMEIER of Denmark succeeded to the top spot at the medal rostrum. Alvaro VALERA of Spain is one step lower, whilst Aleksandr ESAULOV of Russia and Bastien GRUNDELER of France shared third position. In Class 7 Mykhaylo POPOV of Ukraine brought gold to his country. Will BAYLEY of GB lost in the final, whilst Jean Paul MONTANUS of Netherlands and Maxim NIKOLENKO of Russia are third. In Class 8 Viktor DIDUKH of Ukraine is the winner. Behind him on the list are Richard CSEJTEY of Slovakia, Emil ANDERSSON of Sweden and Mathieu LOICQ of Belgium. In Class 9 Yuriy SHCHEPANSKYY of Ukraine overcame Stanislaw FRACZYK of Austria at the end of the Event. Iurii NOZDRUNOV of Russia and Dezso BERECKI of Hungary concluded the play one round earlier. In Class 10 Patryk CHOJNOWSKI of Poland overcame Bas HERGELINK of Netherlands in the final. Previously Manuel RUIZ of Spain and Jorge CARDONA of Spain lost their encounters. In Class 11 Kürşat ÇAĞLAYAN of Turkey beat Peter PALOS of Hungary to secure the title. Bronze went to Eduardo CUESTA of Spain and Pascal PEREIRA-LEAL of France.
Para TT Europeans: ready for knock-out phase
At the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro in most of Class events participants reached knock out stage. In Women’s Class 1-2 Russia’s Nadezda PUSHPASHEVA is at the top of Group A with two straight games wins. From the same Grou, At the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro in most of Class events participants reached knock out stage. In Women’s Class 1-2 Russia’s Nadezda PUSHPASHEVA is at the top of Group A with two straight games wins. From the same Group Clara PODDA of Italy progressed to the next stage of the competition. In Group B Isabelle LAFAYE of France recorded all three wins. Dorta BUCLAW of Poland joined her in knock out stage from position no. 2. In Class 3 also two players from each group advanced to knock out stage. At the top of the standings are Anna-Carin AHLQUIST of Sweden, and Sara HEAD of GB in Group A; Nergiz ALTINTAS of Turkey and Michela BRUNELLI of Italy; in Group C Fanny BERTRAND of France, Andjela MUZINIC of Croatia and in Group D Doris MADER of Austria and Kezbin CAKIR of Turkey. In Class 4-5. Borislava PERIC RANKOVIC recorded two wins in her Group, whilst Sandra MIKOLASCHEK of Germany is second. Swede Ingela LUNDBACK is first in Group B. Andreja DOLNAR of Slovenia is second. Susan GILROY in Group C secured top position with two wins, and Nada MATIC of Serbia is second. In Class 6 Sandra PAOVIC preserved her position. Croatia’s star recorded has two wins, but this Class will play last group matches tomorrow. Raisa CHEBANIKA of Russia also succeeded at the top of Group A, whilst in Group C Yuliya KLYMENKO of Ukraine topping the standings. Class 7 has two Groups. After two rounds Anne BARNEOUD of France is the favorite in Group A and Viktoriia SAFONOVA of Ukraine in Group B. There is still one round to go there. In Class 8 Thu KAMKASOMPHOU of France leads. In Group B Aida DAHLEN of Norway and Zsofia ARLÓY of Hungary will play for top spot. In Class 9 Olga GORSHKALEVA of Russia is first in Group A. In Group B both Turkey’s Neslihan KAVAS and Karolina PEK of Poland might emerge as winners in the group. In Class 10 Umran ERTIS of Turkey, Audrey LE MORVAN of France and Hilal TURKKAN of Turkey and Sophie WALLØE of Denmark all aiming top spots in their respective groups. In round of 8 of the Class 11 will play Monika DOBKO of Poland, Anzhelika KOSACHEVA of Russia and Krystyna SIEMIENIECKA of Poland and Magali ROUSSET of France. Natalya KOSMINA of Russia and Dorota NOWACKA of Poland progressed directly to semis. In Men’s Class 1 Olympic and World Champion Holger NIKELIS of Germany and Endre MAJOR of Hungary secured top two spots that leads to knock out stage. In Grop B Andreas VEVERA of Austria and Silvio KELLER of Swizerland are one and two. In Group C Paul DAVIES of GB and Jean FRANCOIS DUCAY of France progressed further alomgside Robert DAVIS of GB and Italy’s Andrea BORGATO from Group D. Class 2 has 6 Groups. In Group A top two names are Goran PERLIC of Serbia and Iker SASTRE of Spain; in Groub B Fabien LAMIRAULT of France and Rafal CZUPER of Poland; in group C Martin LUDROVSKY of Slovakia and Hans RUEP of Austria; in Group D Jan RIAPOS of Slovakia and Oleksandr YEZYK of Ukraine; In Group E Jiri SUCHANEK of Czech Republic and Vincent BOURY of France; in Group F Rastislav REVUCKY of Slovakia and Vladan PETKOVIC of Serbia. In Class 3 Thomas SCHMIDBERGER of Germany and Dacian MAKSZIN of Romania secured two top positions in Group A. In Group B Germany’s Thomas BRUCHLE and Manfred DOLLMANN of Austria progressed. In Group C Florian MERRIEN of France and vasyl PETRUNIV of Ukraine were most successful. In Group D top two places belongs to Alexander ÖHGREN of Sweden and Miguel RODRIGEZ of Spain; in Group E best ranked players are Egon KRAMMINGER of Austria and Jan GURTLER of Austria. In Class 4 Maxime THOMAS of France and Andrej MESZAROS of Slovakia advanced to the next stage. In Round of 16 will also play: Abdullah OZTURK of Turkey, maciej NALEPKA of Poland, Shay SAIDA of Israel, Emeric MARTIN of France, Nesim TURAN of Turkey Tomislav SPALJ of Croatia, Peter MIHALIK of Slovakia and Krzysztof ŻYLKA of Poland. In Class 5 to the Round of 16 progressed: Tommy URHAUG of Norway, Jorg DIDON of Germany, Nicolas SAVANT-AIRA of France, Selcuk CETIN of Germany, Ali OZTURK of Turkey, Alexey EREMENKO of Israel, Mitar PALIKUCA of Serbia, Bart BRANDS of Belgium, Valentin BAUS of Germany and Rene TAUS of Czech Republic. In Class 6 Alvaro VALERA of Spain is at the top of the Group A and Thomas KUSIAK of Germany is second; In B Alberto SEOANE of Spain and Peter ROSENMEIER of Denmark progressed from Group B; in Group C Danny OBROV of Israel and Bobi SIMION of Romania; In Group D Bastien GRUNDELER of France and Thomas RAU of Germany; Aleksandr ESAULOV of Russia and Tim LAUE of Germany. In Class 7 in Group A: Maxim NIKOLENKO of Russia and Shmuel SHUR of Israel progressed to knock out stage; in B Will BAYLEY of GB and jean Paul MONTANUS of Netherlands; in Group C Mykhaylo POPOV of Ukraine and Ben DESPINEX of Belgium; in Group D Jordi MORALES of Spain and Thorsten SCHWINN of Germany; in Group D Jochen WOLLMERT of Germany and Kevin DOURBECKER of France. In Class 8 Emil ANDERSSON of Sweden recorded two out of two victories. Vladimir ANIKANOV of Russia joined them in next stage with one victory and one defeat. Miroslav JAMBOR of Slovakia and Andras CSONKA of Hungary progressed from Group B. In Group C two top names are Fabian RIGNELL of Sweden and Kenneth BECH of Denmark. Richard CSEJTEY of Slovakia and Viktor DIDUKH of Ukraine leads in Group D. Gyula ZBORAI of Hungary with
The best line-up for Greece in Schwechat
Greece announced best line ups for the forthcoming LIEBHERR European Championships. Four top men and four top ranked women will play in Schwechat: Kalinikos KREANGA, Panagiotis GIONIS, Kostas PAPAGEORGIOU, Tasos RINIOTIS, Katerina TOLIOU, Maria CHRISTOFOR, Greece announced best line ups for the forthcoming LIEBHERR European Championships. Four top men and four top ranked women will play in Schwechat: Kalinikos KREANGA, Panagiotis GIONIS, Kostas PAPAGEORGIOU, Tasos RINIOTIS, Katerina TOLIOU, Maria CHRISTOFORAKI, Angelina PAPADAKI and Filareti EXARCHOU. Men team will play in the Championships Division and will face Czech Republic at the opening. The new player in team is RINIOTIS. The former Greek champion in singles U21 will make his first appearance in a European Championship in senior category. Women, in the Challenge Division in the 1st round will face Italy. Very interesting point is that on the bench will sit Sotiris ZIKOS. The long time cooperation with George KARYTSAS ended two months ago and the new federal coach in Patras was invited by the Greek Federation in order to provide his services to the national women team in this great event. Generally, the Federation has given to the federal technical Kostas VATSAKLIS responsibility of both the men’s and the women’s teams. Kostas VATSAKLIS said about the draw: “The new system requires that teams should be ready from the first moment. If the first match finishes with victories then we will talk about higher aims. The victory will bring optimism. In men if we beat Czech Republic and achieve our initial goal, we fight more freely against Portugal and would give all to win a medal”.
Day one in Lignano packed with fierce action
First day of the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro concluded after great matches in 22 classes. In Women’s Class 1-2 Russia’s Nadezda PUSHPASHEVA secured the top of Group A with two straight games wins. In Group B Isabel, First day of the European Para Table Tennis Championships in Lignano Sabbiadoro concluded after great matches in 22 classes. In Women’s Class 1-2 Russia’s Nadezda PUSHPASHEVA secured the top of Group A with two straight games wins. In Group B Isabelle LAFAYE of France is also safe at the top, but she had to play another match tomorrow. In Class 3 only one round has been played today. At the top of the standings in their respective groups are Anna-Carin AHLQUIST of Sweden, Michela BRUNELLI of Italy, Fanny BERTRAND of France and Doris MADER of Austria. In Class 4-5 Serbia is doing well. Borislava PERIC RANKOVIC recorded two wins in her Group. Zorica POPADIC has one win, like Swede Ingela LUNDBACK, but LUNDBACK has one defeat. It was POPADIC who beat her. Susan GILROY in Group C secured top position with two wins. In Class 6 Sandra PAOVIC doing fine. Croatia’s star recorded victory at the opening day. Raisa CHEBANIKA of Russia also succeeded in Group A, whilst in Group C Yuliya KLYMENKO of Ukraine topping the standings. Class 7 has two Groups. After two rounds Anne BARNEOUD of France is the favorite in Group A and Viktoriia SAFONOVA of Ukraine in Group B. In Class 8 Thu KAMKASOMPHOU of France has an easy win in the first round, whilst in Group B Aida DAHLEN of Norway and Zsofia ARLÓY of Hungary were stretched to full distance. In Class 9 Olga GORSHKALEVA of Russia is first in Group A, but in Group B both Turkey’s Neslihan KAVAS and Karolina PEK of Poland recorded straight games victories. In Class 10 Umran ERTIS of Turkey, Audrey LE MORVAN of France and Hilal TURKKAN of Turkey and Sophie WALLØE of Denmark, all successfully concluded the day with wins. Class 11 has 12 entries in 3 Groups and in each one two players recorded victories; in Group A Natalya KOSMINA of Russia and Monika DOBKO of Poland, in Group B Anzhelika KOSACHEVA of Russia and Dorota NOWACKA of Poland; in Group C Krystyna SIEMIENIECKA of Poland and Magali ROUSSET of France. In Men’s Class 1 Olympic and World Champion Holger NIKELIS of Germany had very good start. In Grop B Andreas VEVERA of Austria also left his adversary without the set, as well as Silvio KELLER of Swizerland. In Group C Robert DAVIS of GB and Italy’s Andrea BORGATO both concluded the day unbeaten. Class 2 has 6 Groups. So far only Fabien LAMIRAULT of France, Martin LUDROVSKY and Jan RIAPOS of Slovakia and Jiri SUCHANEK of Czech Republic can be named as favorites. In Class 3 Thomas SCHMIDBERGER of Germany, his compatriot Thomas BRUCHLE, Florian MERRIEN of France, Alexander ÖHGREN of Sweden and Egon KRAMMINGER of Austria all succeeded in both their encounters. In Class 4 Maxime THOMAS of France, Abdullah OZTURK of Turkey, Nesim TURAN of Turkey and Peter MIHALIK of Slovakia topping their groups. Only in Group C favorite Emeric MARTIN of France suffered by the hands of Shay SAIDA of Israel. In Class 5 Tommy URHAUG of Norway, Nicolas SAVANT-AIRA of France Ali OZTURK of Turkey and Valentin BAUS of Germany all justified their rankings. However in Group C Mitar PALIKUCA of Serbia and Bart RANDS of Belgium upset the favorite. In Class 6 Alvaro VALERA of Spain is at the top of the Group A. In B Alberto SEOANE of Spain recorded straight games victory and Peter ROSENMEIER of Denmark was stretched to full distance in the same Group. Two players are also unbeaten in Group C: Danny OBROV of Israel and Bobi SIMION of Romania. In Group D it is the case with Bastien GRUNDELER of France and Thomas RAU of Germany; whilst Raimondo ALECCI of Italy and Tim LAUE of Germany recorded wins. In Class 7 it is an open fight. After first day in each Group top two seeds are unbeaten. A: Maxim NIKOLENKO of Russia and Paul KARABARDAK of GB; in B Will BAYLEY of GB and jean Paul MONTANUS of Netherlands; in Group C Mykhaylo POPOV of Ukraine and Ben DESPINEX of Belgium; in Group D Jordi MORALES of Spain and Thorsten SCHWINN of Germany; in Group D Jochen WOLLMERT of Germany and Kevin DOURBECKER of France. In Class 8 Emil ANDERSSON of Sweden recorded two out of two victories. Miroslav JAMBOR of Slovakia has one victory as well as Andras CSONKA of Hungary. However Hungarian player suffered one defeat. Fabian RIGNELL of Sweden and Kenneth BECH of Denmark will fight fior top position in Group C, as well as Richard CSEJTEY of Slovakia and Viktor DIDUKH of Ukraine in Group D. Gyula ZBORAI of Hungary and Aaron MCKIBBIN of GB topping their respective Groups. In Class 9 all top seeds emerged at the top of their respective Groups: Stanislaw FRACZYK of Austria, Yuriy SHCHEPANSKYY of Ukraine, Cedrik CABESTANY of France, Iurii NOZDRUNOV of Russia and Vadym KUBOV of Ukraine. In Class 10 Patryk CHOJNOWSKI of Poland, Manuel RUIZ of Spain and Igor MISZTAL of GB, Ivan KARABEC of Czech Republic and Kim DAYBELL of GB are unbeaten. In Class 11 Peter PALOS of Hungary is half way through the next round. In Group B Zabit Kürşat ÇAĞLAYAN of Turkey and Richard VALLEE of France are unbeaten; in Group C Pascal PEREIRA-LEAL of France and Andrii NAVROTSKYI of Ukraine recorded victories; in Group D Kamil BALUSZEK of Poland and Sergey POTAPOV of Russia are also unbeaten like Florian VAN ACKER of Belgium and Eduardo CUESTA of Spain in Group E.
European ParaTT Championships starting in Lignano
Italian TTA will organize the European Paralympic Championships in the splendid Paralympic Center in Lignano Sabbiadoro, from 27 September to 5 October. Few years ago this center becomes the Federal Center and hosts already successfully organized Paralymp, Italian TTA will organize the European Paralympic Championships in the splendid Paralympic Center in Lignano Sabbiadoro, from 27 September to 5 October. Few years ago this center becomes the Federal Center and hosts already successfully organized Paralympic Lignano Master, Paralympic world Tournament. The 2013 edition of the European Championships, the most important Paralympic table tennis event at the continental level, will gathered 291 athletes from 28 countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Serbia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey and Ukraine. The event will be open on Friday. Opening Ceremony will be organized in high style and among other things, there will be performers from the famous music group “Exciting” – three beautiful girls who combine music lyric and the light in a perfect mix. Everything is spiced with their extraordinary beauty. They are the artists who have been in theaters around the world and participated in the most famous TV shows. Italy participates in the European Championships with a Paralympic team led by the technical manager Alessandro ARCIGLI, his deputy Donato Fabio GALLO and technicians Angiolella and Marino FILIPAS.
BOLL withdrew for a first time from EC
Since 1998 he has participated in every European Championship, now he has to withdraw for the first time: Timo BOLL cancelled his participation in the LIEBHERR European Championships in Schwechat. The record holder of the titles at EC (6 singles, 5 double, Since 1998 he has participated in every European Championship, now he has to withdraw for the first time: Timo BOLL cancelled his participation in the LIEBHERR European Championships in Schwechat. The record holder of the titles at EC (6 singles, 5 doubles and 5 team titles) is suffering from the flu. “My shoulder injury which bothered me for some weeks is about to disappear and I was positive to have soon recovered from this completely, but then I have caught fever and the flu. With this I have no time to prepare at all,” explains BOLL. “I’m feeling really sick and tired and Europe’s players are too strong as if I could try and defend 2 titles with only half of my capacities”. Since his premiere in Eindhoven, BOLL has participated in 11 European Championships. The German national coach commented: “In addition to his world-class performance Timo is an important player for the team because he helps the team with his presence and calmness. The others must now prove that they compensate for his absence and also can win without Timo”, says Jörg ROSSKOPF. “Now we will have much more hard games, but we know how and we will be able to face it. I am confident that we can work it out”. BOLL regrets his cancellation especially because of the host and his teammates. “I would like to defend the title in singles and with the team and I was been looking forward to a tough fight in the first round with the Austrians,” says BOLL. “Also for Patrick FRANZISKA, I’m sorry. I care very much about this young player. I would like to know how far we could have proceeded in doubles.” He will now follow the European Championships from home via live streaming and keep his fingers crossed for his teammates. “The guys are so strong that they can hopefully win gold without me. In singles ‘Dima’ is now of course the big favorite”, estimates BOLL. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, two-time Olympic bronze medalist from London, has so far “only” won an individual bronze medal at European Championships, in his European debut in 2007 in Belgrade and is longing for the title. BOLL will be substituted by Ruwen FILUS for the team, singles and doubles event. The defender reached the round of the last 16 last year in Herning, and was a quarter finalist in Stuttgart in 2009. “Ruwen has strongly attracted attention recently due to good performances on international and national level. In the world ranking he made his way up and he also gave a good impression during our practice sessions”, said coach Jörg ROSSKOPF. Recently, Filus reached the semifinals at the Czech Open. In the world ranking he is the sixth best German player as the number 79.
PITCHFORD will lead England in Schwechat
Twenty-year-old Liam PITCHFORD will lead England’s push for promotion at the 32nd LIEBHERR European Championships as the new British No. 1. Chesterfield-born PITCHFORD, who last year reached the top position in the English rankings, finally became the bes, Twenty-year-old Liam PITCHFORD will lead England’s push for promotion at the 32nd LIEBHERR European Championships as the new British No. 1. Chesterfield-born PITCHFORD, who last year reached the top position in the English rankings, finally became the best-ranked British player in the world when he surpassed compatriot Paul DRINKHALL in the September world ranking list. Now, the current world no. 122, will lead the English men in their bid to reach the Championship Division when the prestigious event kicks-off in Schwechat, Austria (October 4-13, 2013). There will be added pressure on the youngster’s shoulders as fellow Olympian, DRINKHALL, will miss out on this year’s competition following surgery on a hip problem, which has prevented him from starting his campaign in the Bundesliga – Germany’s top division. PITCHFORD, who also plays in the Bundesliga, has shrugged off the attentions of being number one, but feels he is full of confidence ahead of the European campaign. The Ochsenhausen player said: “It’s just a number in my eyes but it is always nice to say you’re number 1, I hope now I can push on and break into the top 100. I have two more years at Ochsenhausen now so that has given me a lot of confidence. It’s been good to play the first few matches and get a feel for how I am playing now. I had an important win in our first match at 2-2, which was a great start to the season and I hope it can only improve.” He will be joined in the England team by 30-year-old Andrew BAGGALEY, 23-year-old Daniel REED and 18-year-old Sam WALKER, who was recently selected to play in the European Youth Top-10 that takes place this weekend in Italy. However, in recent history it has been the boy from Derbyshire who has taken the limelight with his incredible giant-killing performances at the European Championships. Back in Poland, 2011 he caused the biggest shock of the tournament by beating world no. 9 and three-time European Champion, Vladimir SAMSONOV, when ranked 269th in the world. He has since followed that victory up with further upsets against Alexey SMIRNOV (20), Robert GARDOS (32) and Dimitrij PROKOPCOV (51) in the same competition. Although he can’t pinpoint what makes him so destructive at this particular event, the current English National Champion has readied himself physically and mentally for his trip to Austria to be the most productive yet. “I guess I always prepare well for European Championships and after the last few years I now have something to build on. It’s massively important to be fresh for every match, these past few months now I have been back at my club in Germany where I have been working hard to be in top shape physically and mentally for the Europeans. My aim is to go further than last year, the last two years I have lost close in the last 32 so I hope this year I can go one better.” The 2013 LIEBHERR European Championships will involve both team and individual competitions as part of the biennial rotation of the tournament, which will also see the English women try and secure their own promotion to the top tier. Recently married Joanna DRINKHALL (26) will lead the side along with Kelly SIBLEY (25), Hannah HICKS (22) and Tin-Tin HO (15). The women, who were promoted in 2011 but have since dropped back to the second level, will begin their campaign against either Italy or Greece after being seeded for the first round. England squad for the European Championships Schwechat, Austria (October 4-13, 2013) Men: Liam PITCHFORD, Andrew BAGGALEY, Sam WALKER and Daniel REED Women: Joanna DRINKHALL, Kelly SIBLEY, Tin-Tin HO and Hannah HICKS Coaches: Jia Yi LIU and Alan COOKE.
ETTU helps develop more opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities
The Vice-President of the European Table Tennis Union Ronald KRAMER will attend a three day Sports Development Conference organized by Special Olympics. The Sports Conference commences today in Antwerp – the host city for the 2014 Special Olympics E, The Vice-President of the European Table Tennis Union Ronald KRAMER will attend a three day Sports Development Conference organized by Special Olympics. The Sports Conference commences today in Antwerp – the host city for the 2014 Special Olympics European Games. Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques ROGGE is serving as Honorary Chair of the 2014 European Games. The Sports Conference, hosted by Special Olympics Belgium, also brings together the Presidents of Tennis Europe Mr. Jacques DUPRÉ, European Golf Association (EGA) Mr Antti PELTONIEMI, Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) Mr. André MEYERAND IFAPA (International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity) Dr. Claire BOURSIER, with more than 80 Special Olympics leaders including Sports Directors, Heads of Delegation for 2014 Games and experts from 50 countries within the Europe Eurasia region. The Games Organizing Committee of the Special Olympics European Games 2014 will officially present their current plans and preparations which will include site visits to the Games venues. The Special Olympics European Games will take place in Antwerp from September 13th – September 20th 2014 involving 2000 athletes from 58 countries. http://www.so2014.com/ The European Sports Directors Conference will sanction the introduction of new sports to increase the number currently offered to Special Olympics athletes which stands at 32. The Conference will also consolidate existing partnerships between Special Olympics and European Sporting Federations. The Presidents in attendance, including ETTU Vice-President KRAMER, will formally visit sports venues across Antwerp that will host sports competitions at the 2014 European Games. “Building confidence, skill and fitness through sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities are the foundations of the Special Olympics sports experience and we know partnerships with sporting bodies such as the ETTU are an integral component of this. ETTU partners with Special Olympics for the benefit of athletes who enjoy professional training and practical guidance and support as we help them to reach their personal best on and off the table tennis court. The development of meaningful sports partnerships is important to the European Table Tennis Union and we are proud of our association with Special Olympics. I look forward to attending this Sports Conference,”said Ronald KRAMER, ETTU Vice-President. “The attendance at our conference by the Presidents of some of Europe’s leading Sports Federations is an endorsement of our work serving athletes with intellectual disabilities. Sports Federations partner with Special Olympics because they share our values, vision and commitment to develop the athletes’ experience ensuring better health, inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities in our communities. The practical support they provide is invaluable,” concluded Mary Davis, Regional President Special Olympics Europe Eurasia. Special Olympics is an international organization that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports every day around the world. Through work in sports, health, education and community building, Special Olympics addresses inactivity, injustice, intolerance and social isolation by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities which leads to a more welcoming and inclusive society. Founded in 1968 by Eunice KENNEDY SHRIVER, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 4.2 million athletes in 170 countries. With the support of more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and more than 70,000 competitions throughout the year. Engage with us on: Twitter @specialolympics; fb.com/specialolympics; youtube.com/specialolympicshq, and specialolympics.org/blog.
