MUSCAT: The top ranking paddlers across the world are expected to arrive in Muscat early of next week to take part in the 2023 Muscat WTT Contender event which will begin on Sunday and will run for one week at the indoor hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. As many as 150 players in total representing 34 nations will vie for $75,000 cash prizes which are set for the toppers in this world class table tennis event.
Organised by Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) in coordination with World Table Tennis (WTT), the Muscat international event will feature five different competitions categories including men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles.
This is the third appearance of WTT Contender events in Muscat after two successful outings in March and September 2022.
Japanese paddler Tomokazu Harimoto, World No 4 paddler, will be the top seed in the men’s categories besides fifth-ranked Brazilian Hugo Calderano. Other ranking players are Lin Yun Ju (World No 7) from Chinese Taipei, Dimitrij Ovtcharov (World No 9) from Germany and others from Nigeria, Sweden, South Korea, France, Denmark and England.
Japan's Hina Hayata, World No 6, will be among the top-seeded women players. World No 9 Shin Yubin from South Korea will be another competitor along with Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz (World No 13) besides other players.
Oman table tennis head coach Omid Shamas Sharbabki from Iran has selected the players who will represent Sultanate of Oman in this major TT assignment. The squad included Muhanad al Balushi, Asad al Raisi, Badar al Jassasi, Loqman al Farsi and Mohammed al Mutawa. The national players underwent an intensive training programme couple of weeks ago under direct supervision of the national head coach. The Iranian coach selected the domestic paddlers based to their latest achievements in the local events. Despite the top technical level of this mega event, Oman’s paddlers will aim to gain the required experience and reach in further stages in the finals. Moreover, Omani players will chase up developing their world ranking while competing with the world's top players.
OTTA Chairman Abdullah Bamakhlif said that hosting this international tournament in Oman is part of the OTTA’s yearly plans to organise world class events. “The OTTA is used to host global level championships and events in Muscat since few years ago. Moreover, hosting these major events are inline of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth targets to bring mega sporting events in Sultanate of Oman. The OTTA had succeeded in hosting two editions of WTT Contender in Muscat last year. This is the third edition which comes after we successfully hosted the 2023 World Veteran Championship at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre during the beginning of the year,” he added.
“Many players among the world top 20 paddlers have registered for the tournament but the event’s rules do not allow accepting of more than eight paddlers in the same event. I am confident this edition will be one of the tough edition in the WTT contender series,” he signed out.
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