The 5th Belarus Open is getting underway on Thursday in Minsk. For a first time the tournament will be played as a 2012 ITTF Europe-Africa Circuit The tournament gathered 80 athletes from 14 countries. Today the organizers held the press conference with t,
ROMSTAL becoming EMD Championships’ title sponsor
Once again this year Buzau will be the host of the European event. After Youth Top10 earlier this season, Romania’s city will host the European Mixed Doubles Championships. The competition is scheduled for this June, from 22nd to 24th. The Event wil,
Asia showed no mercy in Tianjin
Another season started with the great victory for Asian team at the Asia-Europe All Stars Challenge. In Tianjin People’s Gymnasium the team from host Continent clinched victory after two days of fierce battles. On aggregate Asia won 7:3. The real hero of ,
Surprises abounded at OG Qualifications in Doha
Surprises abounded over the four days of play at the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha but when matters concluded on Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the top seeds who emerged as champions. Portugal’s Tiago APOLONIA won the Men’, Surprises abounded over the four days of play at the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha but when matters concluded on Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the top seeds who emerged as champions. Portugal’s Tiago APOLONIA won the Men’s Singles title, securing victory in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula by beating Spain’s Carlos MACHADO in the final. Meanwhile, in the counterpart Women’s Singles gold medal contest, it was success for Sweden’s Matilda EKHOLM; she overcame the Czech Republic’s Dana HADACOVA to reserve the top step of the medal podium. Gold and silver respectively for Tiago APOLONIA and Carlos MACHADO who can anticipate July in London; as can those who filled the next eight places in the Men’s Singles event in Doha. Subject to ratification, Oleksandr DIDUKH (Ukraine), WANG Zeng Yi (Poland), Andrej GACINA (Croatia), Bora VANG (Turkey), Allan BENTSEN (Denmark), Mihai BOBOCICA (Italy), Yaroslav Zhmudenko (Ukraine) and Matiss BURGIS (Latvia) can expects letters of invitation for the 2012 Olympic Games. Notably Matiss BURGISS is the first ever table tennis player from Latvia to qualify for the Olympic Games. Meanwhile, for women a minimum eight have potentially reserved places as a result of their efforts in Doha. Next in line to Matilda EKHOLM and Dana HADACOVA comes Spain’s Sara RAMIREZ and Galia DVORAK, followed by the Russian pairing of Anna TIKHOMIROVA and Yana NOSKOVA, with Hong Kong’s LEE Ho Ching and Portugal’s Lei HUANG MENDES completing the last available places. All potential qualifiers from Doha have to be officially ratified and their participation confirmed by their respective National Olympic Committees. (by Ian MARSHALL, courtesy ITTF) Click here for further information Photo: Matild EKHOLM (Photo Lomaev)
British team now await Olympic squad announcement
The Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha, Qatar ended in disappointment for the Great British Olympic hopefuls as none of the six-man squad managed to seal a place at London 2012. This result means that the 10 shortlisted players for the O, The Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha, Qatar ended in disappointment for the Great British Olympic hopefuls as none of the six-man squad managed to seal a place at London 2012. This result means that the 10 shortlisted players for the Olympics will have to wait on tenterhooks for the host allocation announcement to be made by the British Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) and BOA – currently scheduled for May 22nd. Places at ExCeL in July are at a premium and since none of the British players managed to qualify from the European Qualifiers in Luxembourg in April, or the World Qualifiers in Qatar in May, just one man and one woman will be able to take part in the singles competition in the summer. Britain’s main hopes rested with the men’s triumvirate of Paul DRINKHALL, Liam PITCHFORD and Andrew BAGGALEY who went in search of securing one of the two places available in Doha. However, respective defeats for PITCHFORD (against Mihai BOBOCICA, ITA), BAGGALEY (verses Allan BENTSEN, DEN) and DRINKHALL (Carlos MACHADO, ESP) seemed to have ended their campaigns in the Middle East. This, as it turned out, was not the case. Late on Saturday night the International Table Tennis Federation confirmed that 10 places had been made available in the competition – therefore giving DRINKHALL and BAGGALEY one more opportunity in their fight for 9th and 10th positions. Again, however, this proved to be a false omen as both lost dramatic seven-game thrillers 12-10 in the deciding game to all-but end their hopes of automatic qualification for London. BAGGALEY’S defeat to Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU (GRE) and DRINKHALL’S defeat to Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO (UKR) finally ended the British hopes in Doha after PITCHFORD, and the trio of girls in attendance; Joanna PARKER, NA Liu and Naomi OWEN, had already been eliminated. There was still time for DRINKHALL and BAGGALEY to meet in the play-offs; a match that DRINKHALL won 4-1 (11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9), however, the four-times National Champion’s finishing position of 14th was not enough for a spot at the Games. Luckily, for British table tennis, they had already been allocated a men’s and women’s singles and team spot at London 2012 so there will be a host presence at the 30th Olympiad come the start of the event in July. (courtesy ETTA) Photo: Liam PITCHFORD (Photo Roscher)
Fakel being the pride of GAZPROM
Everyone in Oreburg is aware that the first ever ECL crown is very, very close, but all they are very careful expecting rematch against compatriots from UMMC, which will be held on May 17th (13h00 CET). Vladimir SAMSONOV, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Alexei SMI,
APOLONIA and EKHOLM clinched top places
Top seeded at the their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles Event Tiago APOLONIA and Matilda EKHOLM emerged successfully at the end of the 2012 Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha. The competition is over, but the final number of new pas,
ASIA-EUROPE 3:2: TOKIC keeps the flag flying
Another edition of the Asia- Europe All Stars Series is behind us. Host nation showed great hospitality, but they showed no mercy when it came to the matches. Asia clinched 7:3 victory on aggregate. Europe scored in only one match on a first day and twice,
Final countdown reserved for Europeans
Only players from Europe survived fierce competition to reach ultimate stages of the Men’s and Women’s Singles Event at the 2012 Final World Olympic Qualifications. In Doha before the last day of the tournament men call of the day after Round of 16, whils,
ASIA-EUROPE 4:1: TOKIC only Europe scorer
After the opening day of the Asia-Euro All Stars Challenge hosts are in the lead. Asia clinched victories in four duels, whilst only one went to Europe’s account.. Europe won one match in top rate upset – Bojan TOKIC of Slovenia overcame HAO Shuai o,
