10/09/2010 – The Netherlands women’s team is ready to shine again at the LIEBHERR European Championships 2010 in Ostrava Czech Republic. ‘Oranje’ is defending their double crowns of 2008 and 2009 in the team event and with LI Jiao https://www.ettu.org 10/09/2010 – The Netherlands women’s team is ready to shine again at the LIEBHERR European Championships 2010 in Ostrava Czech Republic. ‘Oranje’ is defending their double crowns of 2008 and 2009 in the team event and with LI Jiao and LI Jie in individual events the Netherlands Table Tennis Association (NTTB) is hoping for more glory. Yesterday the team arrived in Ostrava after a long preparation period at the National Training centre in Papendal. Head coaches CHEN Zhibin (Women) and Nikola VUKELJA (Men) do have different expectations but are both aiming for the best possible results. Women’s team including LI Jiao. LI Jie Linda CREEMERS and Elena TIMINA will try to reach the medals again. “It is very motivating to work with these girls and see them improve” says CHEN. “They want to do the up most to improve their level both technical and mental. Even a world class and experienced player like LI Jiao is very focused to rise her game. Linda CREEMERS had a very good summer reaching the semi finals at the ITTF Pro Tour in Egypt.”In the women’s doubles LI Jie plays together with TIMINA this couple may also be a contender for the medals. But for sure the team wants to repeat the success of 2008 and 2009 in the team event. “That will be difficult because our opponents are very strong” thinks NTTB Sports Director Achim SIALINO. “Germany clinched a bronze medal at the WTTC this year. Poland Spain and Hungary will aim as well for the gold.” Last year men’s team promoted to the Challenge Division. Wai-Lung CHUNG (20) Casper TER L??(19) and Boris de VRIES (18) is Holland’s next generation. “For sure it will be difficult for this team to stay in the Challenge Division but they had a good preparation and will fight for every single point” says new head coach Nikola VUKELJA. Three Dutch players have decided to withdraw from the European Championships lately. Michel DE BOER Merijn DE BRUIN and Carla NOUWEN will not travel to Ostrava. DE BOER and NOUWEN both have injuries. DE BRUIN decided to withdraw because he’s not in shape in time. (by Harald HANEMAAIJER courtesy of NTTB) Click here for further information Photo: Dutch Linda CREEMERS (courtesy ITTF)

09/09/2010 – Head coach of the Danish team Peter SARTZ announced that the team suffered big blow by withdrawing of European champion Michael MAZE. The problem with the knee demands surgery. “Michael will have medical operation tomorrow. He has

09/09/2010 – Last year Hungarian team had a rough season at the LIEBHERR European championships. Girl’s finished at the position no. 12 whilst men’s team was 16th. “After the very successful European Championships 2007 and 2008 th

08/09/2010 – HE Zhi Wen and FU Yu won the title at the 25th VIC International Open Gran Prix Barcelona held at the Sports Pavilion Castle Plans Vic and organized by FOTOPRIX Vic. HE Zhi Wen (TT Angers) in the final beat Andrew BAGGALEY (Nice TT) 3-0

08/09/2010 – At the press conference in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen Michael MAZE was elected as a player of the year in Denmark. Jonathan GROTH gained the title as a talent of the year. Unfortunately at the same occasion reigning champion MAZE https://www.ettu.org 08/09/2010 – At the press conference in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen Michael MAZE was elected as a player of the year in Denmark. Jonathan GROTH gained the title as a talent of the year. Unfortunately at the same occasion reigning champion MAZE announced his withdrawal from the 2010 LIBHERR European Championships in Ostrava. Michael MAZE is very sorry not to defend his title. “I hope soon I will be back but now it is not possible to play at the highest level due to a knee injury. Probably it is a virus inflammation.” The mens team will be composed by Allan BENTSEN Kasper STERNBERG Jonathan GROTH and Christian KJONGSGAARD. Coach Peter SARTZ said: “Without Machael MAZE we will have to change the target a little bit. With Maze we would have ambitions to play for medals. Realistically we will not be able to do this without Michael MAZE now”. (by Arne MADSEN courtesy of DBTU) Photo: Michael MAZE (Photo Roscher)

07/09/2010 – French men’s line up for the 2010 LIEBHERR European championships in Ostrava is the same as it was for World Championships in Moscow but in women’s team leader YIAN Yi Fang is still absent. In Men’s Teams Event in Gr https://www.ettu.org 07/09/2010 – French men’s line up for the 2010 LIEBHERR European championships in Ostrava is the same as it was for World Championships in Moscow but in women’s team leader YIAN Yi Fang is still absent. In Men’s Teams Event in Group stages France will play against Romania Belarus and Spain. “Our group is homogeneous. Belarus is a favorite with Vladimir SAMSONOV who has proved he is in great shape. That team is regularly in the last four. Romania and Spain will be easier to beat: they will have to fight hard to reach the quarter-finals. On the other side the French team is still inexperienced. In Moscow players were performed well but we still suffered from lack of consistency ” said Stephane HUCLIEZ head coach of men’s team. Girls will meet adversaries from Poland Spain and Slovakia in the first stage of the Team’s Event. “It will be very difficult to play against Poland and Spain. They are big favorites for the medal rostrum. Both teams have the same profile: a strong leader and two girls who are very strong behind. Poland’s LI Qian XU Jie and PARTYKA line up a very strong team which reached the quarterfinals of the last World Championships. SHEN Yanfei will play for the first time for Spain she returned in great shape after pregnancy. She won the Open in South Korea in addition. Without Eva ODOROVA Slovakia will have little chances to reach the quarters ” explained Rozenn JACQUET-YQUEL. French men’s team: Christophe LEGOUT (Istres Ouest Provence no. 55 at wr) Adrien MATTENET (AS Pontoise-Cergy no. 89) Emmanuel LEBESSON (Levallois SCTT no. 134) Abdel-Kader SALIFOU (EP Isseenne no. 154) – Simon GAUZY (Levallois SCTT no. 295). Head coach: Stephane HUCLIEZ French women’s team: Carole GRUNDISCH (US Kremlin Bicetre no. 82) Audrey MATTENET (ALCL TT Grand Quevilly no. 192) Aurore DESSAINT (TT Saint-Quentin no. 242) Laura GASNIER (Mayenne CA no. 268).Head coach: Rozenn JACQUET-YQUEL (by Hubert GUERIAU courtesy of FFTT) Click here for more information about 2010 LIEBHERR European Championships Photo: Christophe LEGOUT (courtesy ITTF)

07/09/2010 – At the 2010 LIEBHERR European Championships in Ostrava Czech men’s team will face three difficult opponents: Germany Poland and Greece. “The Germans are in Europe similar to Chinese worldwide. To play against them will be e https://www.ettu.org 07/09/2010 – At the 2010 LIEBHERR European Championships in Ostrava Czech men’s team will face three difficult opponents: Germany Poland and Greece. “The Germans are in Europe similar to Chinese worldwide. To play against them will be extremely difficult. – said national men coach Thomas DEMEK – We like to play against the Poles they are really good. The strength of Greece is much influenced by the presence or absence of the 15th player in the world Kalinikos KREANGA.”Women’s team coach Miroslav CECAVA does not want to talk about the pressure of defending bronze medal from Stuttgart 2009 especially in the light of the fact that the team playing at home. “I think we have a reasonable group and we will certainly fight for the quarterfinals. The girls are experienced and I believe that this fact will resist at home ” said coach Miroslav CECAVA . “I consider our group the second hardest. We could also get Germans and uncomfortable Turks. Belarus has traditionally two defenders; next to Victoria PAVLOVIC is DUBKOVA who we know well from the Czech league where she plays in Breclav. We beat Hungary in Stuttgart but Hungary has always been a very strong team. The third team in the group is Sweden who are relatively the weakest opponent. ” said CECAVA and warns that the Czech team must precede step by step and think first of the progress of the group. Semifinalist from the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Petr KORBEL will be the home team favorite in single’s event. Dmitrij PROKOPCOV showed a good form by winning Prague Open tournament a week ago beating KORBEL in the semifinals and Dmitrij OTVCHAROV from Germany in the finals. In women’s singles event it will be Renata Strbikova. The entire team except SIRUCEK (who played in Istanbul at the Youth European Championships) trained in Karlova Studanka for one week in July. After that nine nominated players and two players from a larger squad (JANCARIK J. KLEPRLIK) went to training camp in Vitkovice in August. “In late August teams from Hungary Poland Serbia Russia and Austria joined us and gave us great opportunity for excellent sparring. “ said coach Tomas DEMEK. Group of four VACENOVSKA HADACOVA MATELOVA and KUCEROVA completed a three-week camp in China. The first nine days in July they spent in Shanghai the rest in training camp of the Chinese team in the Tong-chou about 130 km away from Shanghai and near the town of Nan-Tong. They trained with players of the B-national team of China and other European women. The players spent at the tables around seven hours a day. Since 27th August to 4th September all the Czech national women? team prepared in the center of the Italian Association near Bolzano with the domestic table tennis players Spanish and Hungarians. It was great to train together with TOTH POTA LOVAS MONFARDINI STEFANOVA or Spanish of Chinese origin SHEN Yanfei and ZHU Fang. After that they continued training in Havirov and from 8th September They should practice two days directly in CEZ Arena. Renata STRBIKOVA spent three weeks in Australia duirng summer. “It’s definitely one of the highlights of my career. I waited for it for a really long time. I’m glad I will be a part of the team at the European Championships in the Czech Republic – said the Czech’s no. one Petr KORBEL -.Germans are the main favorites for the title but the Poland and Greece can also succeed. Second place in the group is open.So I’m really happy that I’ll be finally able to play before the home crowd. Of course that if the championships were held here a decade ago when I was at the top it would be better. Even so I’ll do the maximum for the good result.” Renata STRBIKOVA who will defend last year’s bronze medal from the team competition at the European Championship with Iveta VACENOVSKA and Dana HADACOVA added:” Actually I’m in the team for sixteen years and I am very pleased that I could play before the home crowd. It’s mentally challenging because at home we will be more under pressure than last year in Stuttgart. Women’s team (coach Miroslav CECAVA): Iveta VACENOVSKA Renata STRBIKOVA Dana HADACOVA Katerina PENKAVOVA Martina SMISTIKOVA Lenka HARABASZOVA and Hana MATELOVA. Men’s team (coach Tomas DEMEK): Petr KORBEL Dmitrij PROKOPCOV Josef SIMONCIK Tomas KONECNY Jiri VRABLIK Tomas TREGLER Michal OBESLO Antonin GAVLAS and Pavel SIRUCEK. (by Katarina PETRIKOVA) For further information click here Photo: Czech player Iveta VACENOVSKA (Photo ROSCHER) Photo: Czech player Iveta VACENOVSKA (Photo ROSCHER)