World’s top table tennis veterans ready for action with 44 titles on the line
15 January 2023, Muscat: The Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) will be transformed into a hive of activity this week as it plays host to the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships 2023. More than 1600 players aged 40 to over 90 years of age will compete for 44 world titles during the coming week.
The Men’s competition boasts many of the world’s top ten ranked players including the former world number one Raymond Lui of Hong Kong, number two Petr Wasik from Czech, number four Youssef Shalhoub from Lebanon and Mazen Shaouabar representing Palestine, a former world number five.
The Women’s event is equally competitive with former world number one Pia Toelhøj of Denmark and Ursula Luh-Fleischer, part of a very strong contingent from Germany, joining the very best veteran players from China, the United States of America, France, India and Japan.
Oman’s nine-strong team consists of Sajad Baqir, Abdul Ghany Nasser Hassan, Soman Ukkath Variath, Mansoor Al Wahaibi, Ismail Al Sulaimani, Sultan Al Riyami, Salim Al Battashi, Saleh Al Matrfi and Anwar Abbas.
Mohamed Eldawlaty, Competitions Manager of World Veteran Championships – Muscat 2023, affirmed that it is great to return back after five years absence of the World Veterans Table Tennis Championships.
“ We are in full readiness to kick off fantastic event for players and fans for one full week. The event will take place in a spectacular venue at Oman Convention and Exhibition Center which will accommodate more than 100 tables with great facilities. I believe the players will have a different experience in this edition of the Championships,” he added
“Due to some challenges in logistics and shipment, I would like to say special thanks to all the volunteers, workers and the organising committee who managed to install the flooring for all the 100 tables in less than one day which made possible made the event in one time. The team worked very hard during the past few days ago to complete all the technical and logistics preparations that will ensure to make table tennis accessible to veterans of all ages categories and help them fall in love with it. The players began their warmup sessions on Saturday and Sunday ahead of the competitions start on Monday.
Wishing good luck to all the participants from different part of the world. Beside the competitions among the players, table Tennis will always contributing for all ages to be more active and healthier,” he ended The first round of matches begins today with the singles competition group stage. The doubles competition gets underway tomorrow. Participants will be able to explore Muscat and further afield on Wednesday 18 January before returning to action on Thursday 19 January for the first day of the knockout round. The Semi-finals and finals are scheduled for Saturday 21 January.
First held in Göteborg, Sweden, in 1982, with just 450 participants from 21 countries, the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships have grown to become a major fixture in the global calendar. Now in its 40th year, this is the first time the championships have been held in this region, allowing Oman the opportunity to showcase its unique culture and world-famous hospitality to a new audience.
The World Veteran Table Tennis Championships 2023 is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Oman Table Tennis Association, and the International Table Tennis Federation, with support from Oman Fiber Optic, STAG Sports, Omantel and Belltel.
More information about the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships 2023 can be found on the official event website, www.wvc2023.com.
Event Schedule
· Sunday 15 January 2023: Opening ceremony
· Monday 16 January 2023: Singles competitions, Group stage
· Tuesday 17 January 2023: Singles and Doubles competitions, Group stage
· Wednesday 18 January 2023: Day off/Touristic offer
· Thursday 19 January 2023: Singles and Doubles competitions, Knockout round
· Friday 20 January 2023: Singles and Doubles competitions, Knockout round
· Saturday 21 January 2023: Singles and Doubles semi-finals and finals
Age Categories
· 40-44 years (born between 1982 and 1978)
· 45-49 years (born between 1977 and 1973)
· 50-54 years (born between 1972 and 1968)
· 55-59 years (born between 1967 and 1963)
· 60-64 years (born between 1962 and 1958)
· 65-69 years (born between 1957 and 1953)
· 70-74 years (born between 1952 and 1948)
· 75-79 years (born between 1947 and 1943)
· 80-84 years (born between 1942 and 1938)
· 85-89 years (born between 1937 and 1933)
· Over 90 years (born in 1932 or before)
Past hosts (participants/nations)
· 1982 - Göteborg, Sweden (450/21)
· 1984 – Helsinki, Finland (650/36)
· 1986 – Rimini, Italy (1100/38)
· 1988 – Zagreb, Croatia (1650/45)
· 1990 – Baltimore, USA (1100/46)
· 1992 - Dublin, Ireland (1300/48)
· 1994 – Melbourne, Australia (1800/49)
· 1996 – Lillehammer, Norway (1950/49)
· 1998 – Manchester, England (1400/53)
· 2000 – Vancouver, Canada (1850/57)
· 2002 – Lucerne, Switzerland (2750/63)
· 2004 – Yokohama, Japan (2384/47)
· 2006 – Bremen, Germany (3650/59)
· 2008 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1378/52)
· 2010 – Hothot, China (2065/51)
· 2012 – Stockholm, Sweden (3335/66)
· 2014 – Auckland, New Zealand (1640/58)
· 2016 – Alicante, Spain (4602/82)
· 2018 – Las Vegas, USA (3964/86)
· 2020 – Bordeaux, France (no event held)
· 2023 – Muscat, Oman (1600/69)
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