TT TO BEGIN WITH KANDY MAYOR’S CUP TOURNAMENT IN SEPTEMBER
The Table Tennis Association of Sri Lanka (TTASL) has decided to begin table tennis activities by conducting the postponed Kandy Mayor’s Cup All Island Open Ranking tournament. This tournament was scheduled to held in March but postponed indefinitely along with other competitions because of the viral coronavirus outbreak.
Once the Sports Ministry and the Institute of Sports Medicine gives the green light to resume table tennis activities, all tournaments suspended because of the viral outbreak will be held, according to TTASL secretary Chandana Srinath Wijetunga.
Several leading players are among the 600 entries received for this tournament which is to be held in September at the Municipal Council Indoor Stadium in Kandy.
Meanwhile, the association hopes to commence training of the national pool which will be formed with the long-term development in mind. Two national pools of senior and junior ranked players comprising 50 each (25 men and 25 women) will be formed and training to commence at the earliest. This is the first time a national pool would be formed since 2014.
The TTASL also hopes to form an elite national pool of 8 to 12 players from among the top ranked players in the country. The elite pool which will change in numbers according to performances of players at local and international competitions, will form the core players to represent the country at upcoming international events.
Since there is no place for the national table tennis players to train which is a major obstacle for the development of the sport, the Sports Ministry has promised to provide a venue.
Earlier national table tennis players used to train at the Racecourse Sports Complex but it was discontinued after the 2004 tsunami. Thereafter national pool training and national competitions have been held at S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia indoor stadium. The association has to be spend nearly a million rupees to book this venue.
Meanwhile the Sri Lanka TT Umpiring Association has selected four candidates to undergo a table tennis umpiring exam on June 25.