Champions Sandakan to defend Sabah State Table Tennis Championship crown
KOTA KINABALU: Sandakan will be the team to beat when the Sabah State Table Tennis Championship gets underway at the Dewan Sri Putatan near here from September 1-3.
The title holders, however, are expected to face tough challenges with nine other teams to feature their best players for the championship.
Former champions Kota Kinabalu Table Tennis Association (KKTTA) as well as former multiple winners Tawau are just among the strongest challengers to the crown.
KKTTA, in particular, will fancy their chances as the organiser of the championship and its president Edward Chua revealed they are sending 69 players to the tournament.
The other teams are Beaufort, Keningau, Kudat, Lahad Datu, Papar, Ranau, Sandakan, Tenom and Tuaran.
In all, around 400 participants will be involved in the state most prestigious table tennis competition of which about 340 will be athletes and the rest team officials.
As in the past editions, the tournament will feature the Team competition for men and women.
Apart from that, the individual events will also take place namely for Men’s and Women’s Singles, Veteran Men’s Singles, Perpaduan (nonChinese) Men’s and Women’s Singles, Under-10 Boys and Girls, Under-13 Boys and Girls, Under-15 Boys and Girls as well as the Under-18 Boys and Girls.
Putatan District Officer Ag Abdul Ghani Ag Yusop is expected to grace the opening ceremony at the Dewan Sri Putatan on Sept 1.
A welcoming dinner will be held at the Soluxe Hotel Putatan ballroom on the same day where guest-ofhonour Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai is expected to witness the installation of Sabah Table Tennis Association (STTA) 2017-2019 council.
Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan is expected at the prize presentation and closing ceremony on September 3.