OdishaPlus Bureau
The Odisha government has signed a MoU with the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) to host the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship.The MoU was signed between Department of Sports and Youth Services, Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and Odisha State Table Tennis Association (OSTTA) here in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Sports Secretary Vishal Dev signed the MoU with TTFI Senior Vice-President SN Sultan and OSTTA President LN Gupta. Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera was also present on the occasion.
“The championship is an important step for us in promoting sports, especially table tennis in the state. I hope the event will bring renewed focus on table tennis, in which India has been performing well in recent times,” Patnaik said.
Speaking on the occasion the Minister said, “This championship will see participation from some of the best players from across the globe. Indian paddlers have displayed unprecedented performance at the Asiad and Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the upcoming championship will be exciting for all to watch. We look forward to welcoming the teams and its officials to Odisha.”
Commending the Odisha government, Director ITTF and Advisor TTFI Dhananjay Choudhury said, “Odisha, with its finest sports infrastructure and expertise has a global recognition today for hosting international sports events of repute. We are thankful to the state government for organising this six-day Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. We are confident participants and spectators leave with a positive experience.”
Odisha TT team is ranked 10 in the country and an international Table Tennis event is expected to boost Table Tennis in the state.
The 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship will begin from July 17th to 22nd. Fourteen countries will participate in the championship which will be held at Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack. The participating countries are – India, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England, Scotland, Wales, Jersey, Australia, Cyprus, South Africa, Nigeria and Pakistan.