MORE than 600 athletes from 20 countries will see action in two international table tennis tournaments that the City of Puerto Princesa will host next month.
The World Table Tennis Youth Contender Series kicks off the two-meet festivities from September 3 to 6, followed by the World Table Tennis Feeder Series from September 8 to 12 at the Edward S. Hagedorn Coliseum.
Both tournaments will feature 20 countries each with the Philippines fielding the biggest entry of 60 athletes led by national team member Kheith Rhynne Cruz and a team from Puuerto Princesa.
‘Hosting an international event here in our country is a huge help. First, because we can minimize costs, and at the same time, we get to compete against world-class players,’ Philippine Table Tennis Federation Inc. (PTTF) president Ting Ledesma told the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Media Room on Tuesday.
‘And they get to experience a world-class event and world-class players. That’s why our players today, compared to the past, are no longer fazed by their opponents or the massive venues-they are already at ease,’ added Ledesma in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, Milo and the country’s 24/7 sports app, ArenaPlus.
Competition manager Daniel Deleniana, who is also a board member of PTTF, along with Executive Assistant IV and City Sports Director Atty. Gregorio Austria joined Ledesma in the forum to discuss the two-in-one event being by Puerto Princesa for the fourth straight time.
Deleniana said the Youth Series features a total of 426 19-and-under athletes, while the Feeder Series is an open category which attracted 165 entries.
‘So we have options for children, and we also have some for seniors,’ he said.
The categories are U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17 and U-19 both boys and girls, while mixed doubles will also be played in the U-15 and U-19 groups.
Participating countries in the Youth Series are Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, USA, Oman, Brunei and Slovakia.
In the Feeder Series, seeing action are Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, Chinese Taipei, Oman, Brunei, Slovakia and Indonesia.
Austria said hosting of the event again boosts Puerto Princesa’s image as the country’s top tourism sports hub after staging other national and international meets in the past such as the Batang Pinoy, BIMO-EAGA, Ironman Triathlon and the ICF World Dragon Boat Championships.
‘We saw that this sport would breathe new life into our city. When international athletes visit us, we gain recognition not only in the Philippines but across the globe,’ said Austria, speaking on behalf of City Mayor Lucilo Bayron.