Member Associations | 14 Mar 2024

A Century of Paddles: Győr Hosts the National Table Tennis Championship

The Hungarian Table Tennis Association, celebrating its centenary, and the city of Győr provided a fitting prelude to the national championship at Friday's press conference: the county seat on the banks of the Rába is increasingly hosting more high-quality sports events, and after the European Shooting Championships, the Olympic Sportpark will be the worthy venue for the most prestigious domestic table tennis competition, taking place between March 22 and 24.

As for the national championship, the ball will bounce on twelve tables, and the three-day event will be enriched by professional matches. The goal is to restore the prestige of the national championship, and the matches promise to provide good entertainment for the hopefully large audience. It is a positive sign that, as is customary, the national championships are also held in other European countries on the same weekend, so the adult and age group national teams will be present among the one hundred and fifty participants in Győr.

The mayor of the city, Csaba András DÉZSI, emphasized that significant events were organized in the city during the time of his Olympic champion predecessor, and the current city leadership continues this tradition with the addition that, alongside elite programs, more and more people should participate in various sports. Therefore, it is important that the locals can witness the current best of Hungarian table tennis up close, a sport with significant traditions. Deputy Mayor Szabolcs SZELES added that Győr's national reputation in the economic, commercial, cultural, and educational sectors also extends to sports: the city has previously achieved results in the sport and currently excels in para-sports, exemplified by Alexa SZVITACS.

The briefing concluded with an extraordinary demonstration: the ambassadors of Hungarian table tennis, world champions Gábor GERGELY, István JÓNYER, Tibor KLAMPÁR, and Tibor KREISZ played with the mayor of the city, all wearing festive T-shirts prepared for the championship with the inscription "My Heart is with Hungarian Table Tennis."

The defending champions of the 2023 national championship are as follows:

Men’s Singles – Ádám SZUDI

Women’s Singles – Dóra MADARÁSZ

Men’s Doubles - Ádám SZUDI, Nándor ECSEKI

Women’s Doubles – Bernadett BÁLINT, Mercédesz NAGYVÁRADI

Mixed Doubles - Dóra MADARÁSZ, Nándor ECSEKI