Muscat, Jan 7
As many as 1,600 participants representing 69 nations will take part in the 2023 ITTF World Veteran Championship in Muscat which will take place at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre during January 15 to 21. The organisers Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) in coordination with International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and under supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth completed all the technical and logistics preparations for the world-class TT event in Muscat.
His Highness Sayyid Fahar bin Fatik al Said will be the chief guest of the opening ceremony which is scheduled to be held on Sunday, January 15 at the Al Arfan auditorium in Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. The opening ceremony will feature attendance of the ITTF President Petra Sorling who will take part in the competitions as well.
Basil bin Ahmed al Rowas, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth for Sports and Youth and chairman of organising committee affirmed that hosting of the 2023 ITTF World Veteran Championship in Muscat is part of the ministry’s roles to attract world top sporting events in Oman. "Hosting of such mega international sporting events in the Sultanate of Oman is inline to Oman Vision 2040 towards having best sporting environment in the country,” he said.
The chief of the organising committee added that World Veteran Championship is classified as one of the top sporting events that feature attendance of huge participants. “This edition of the tournament will see presence of 1,600 participants from 69 countries across the world. Beside the technical competitions, all delegations will get the right chance to explore Oman during this event.”
“I would like to thank ITTF for their trust and confidence on Oman’s infrastructure and facilities to organise such huge event. Their support and continuous assistance towards organising this event in Muscat is much appreciated and we will work hard for the success of the championship,” he ended.
Abdullah bin Mohammed Bamakhlif, president of OTTA and vice-chairman of the organising committee, pointed that organising of World Veteran Championship in Oman is a historic moment for table tennis in Oman. “It is considered as one of the world-class event to be held in Muscat with participation of more than 1,500 participants including players, accompanying people, umpires and volunteers. This event put Oman’s as one of the key destinations in the world sporting map,” he said.
“We have maintained our smooth relationship with ITTF and WTT as Oman represented by OTTA managed to organise successful TT events during the past years. This support Oman’s bid to organise this championship in Muscat city and a dedicated thanks to ITTF on their top trust on our logistics and human capabilities to organise this mega tournament," he concluded.
DELEGATIONS ARRIVAL
The delegation arrivals to Muscat will begin on Sunday and will continue during the forthcoming days until the tournament start. The players will get suitable time for warm-up training in the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centres halls ahead of the tournament start. Besides that, the players and participants will get better time to explore Oman and discover the tourists’ attractions places as a set programme is prepared for them.
The technical meeting of the championship will take place on Saturday as the final list and competition schedule will be released. The competitions will be in daily basis starting at 8 am to 9 pm from Sunday until closing ceremony on Saturday.
Players will range from the age of 40 to over 85 and will compete in different age categories with 44 world titles to be won. The championships will be staged throughout OCEC, utilising the three exhibition halls for more than 150 competition spaces.
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