Three-time individual European champion named Belarus Team captain for the 2nd European Games (21-30 June)
One of the European most decorated table tennis players ever Vladimir SAMSONOV will be the captain of Team Belarus at the 2019 European Games and he will carry the flag of the host country during the opening ceremony in the Dinamo Stadium in Minsk today June 21st.
Three-time Men’s Singles European champion (1998 2003 2005) emphasized that it is a great honour for him to be Team Belarus captain in his native city. Fakel-Gazprom player will fight to win the gold and secure his place at 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He competed at six consecutive Olympic Games so far.
The 43-year-old won more than 30 medals in the biggest table tennis events including 1997 ITTF World Championships Men’s Singles runner-up 13-time TTCLM champion 2015 European Games Men’s Singles runner-up.
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Tennis Olympic Center with a capacity of 1 000 seats will host five table tennis events in Minsk from 22nd to 29th June. A total 122 players will compete for the spot at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: three medallists in the men’s and women’s singles events will secure their places while the gold medallists in the men’s and women’s team events and mixed doubles event will get an Olympic quota. That’s why all best European players will travel to Minsk.
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Top seeding list (best 16) Men Singles:
1 Timo BOLL (Germany) 2 Matias FALCK (Sweden) 3 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (Germany) 4 Liam PITCHFORD (England) 5 Vladimir SAMSONOV (Belarus) 6 Simon GAUZY (France) 7 Kristian KARLSSON (Sweden) 8 Daniel HABESOHN (Austria) 9 Emmanuel LEBESSON (France) 10 Jonathan GROTH (Denmark) 11 Marcos FREITAS (Portugal) 12 Tomislav PUCAR (Croatia) 13 Tiago APOLONIA (Portugal) 14 Cedric NUYTINCK (Belgium) 15 Darko JORGIC (Slovenia) 16 Alvaro ROBLES MARTINEZ (Spain).
Top seeding list (best 16) Women Singles:
1 Bernadette SZOCS (Romania) 2 Sofia POLCANOVA (Austria) 3 Matilda EKHOLM (Sweden) 4 Petrissa SOLJA (Germany) 5 Elizabeta SAMARA (Romania) 6 Georgina POTA (Hungary) 7 LI Jie (Netherlands) 8 FU Yu (Portugal) 9 Britt EERLAND (Netherlands) 10 Margaryta PESOTSKA (Ukraine) 11 Barbora BALAZOVA (Slovakia) 12 Polina MIKHAILOVA (Russia) 13 HAN Ying (Germany) 14 LI Qian (Poland) 15 NI Xia Lian (Luxembourg) 16 Hana MATELOVA (Czech Republic).
Top seeding list (best 12) Men Team:
1 Germany 2 Sweden 3 Austria 4 Great Britain 5 France 6 Slovenia 7 Croatia 8 Belarus 9 Portugal 10 Belgium 11 Romania 12 Denmark.
Top seeding list (best 12) Women Team:
1 Germany 2 Romania 3 Hungary 4 Austria 5 Netherlands 6 Ukraine 7 Poland 8 Spain 8 Luxembourg 8 Russia 11 Sweden 12 Belarus.
More information: here
Organizers website: here
Minsk 2019 results: here
