Macau will be the stage for the world debut of a brand-new international table tennis competition, the World Table Tennis (WTT).
The event was presented yesterday at a press conference that counted the presence of organizers, partners, and sponsors.
Taking place at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion from November 25 to 29, the event aims to be a showcase preview of this new international competition that will run events worldwide from 2021, Stephen Duckitt, Event Strategy Director of WTT, explained during the press conference.
“Two weeks from now, we will be making history together when we usher in a new era of professional table tennis here in Macau,” Duckitt said, while expressing gratitude for the support of Sports Bureau (ID) in helping “bring the WTT vision to life for the first time.”
“We look forward to showcasing, for players, fans, sponsors, and media alike, many exciting innovations, never seen before in professional table tennis. Macau is where our journey begins,” he concluded.
On behalf of ID, president Pun Weng Kun also highlighted the fact that this would be the first-ever event to take place under the new organization scheme of WTT since its inception by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) earlier this year, adding that the new format of the competition, with a “fast-paced and innovative competition and scoring methods,” will be interesting to watch for table tennis fans worldwide.
EXEMPTED FROM QUARANTINE
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the press conference event, Pun added that all the participating athletes (32, divided into two categories with 16 males and 16 females) will be exempted from undergoing quarantine upon arrival in Macau.
“Besides the National Team [of China], there are other athletes from different countries who have already been in the mainland for about 20 days, where they have already undergone medical observation,” Pun said, adding, “A few days ago, they already had two competitors in the mainland. Since they had already undergone a medical observation in the mainland and they have already been there for more than 14 days, they are already eligible to come to Macau [without quarantine] so that when they arrive, they will participate directly in the event.”
For the president of ID, hosting this event is also recognition of the capacity of Macau in controlling the pandemic.
“This is a recognition of the capacity of Macau [in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic]. During the training stage that the Chinese National Team undertook in Macau [in March this year] they already understood and realized that Macau is a very safe place for both training and competitions, and so they received [the invitation to] this event very well,” he said.
The list of the participating athletes includes, besides some highlighted Chinese athletes, the participation of several players from different countries and regions, including the South Koreans Jeon Ji-hee and Jeoung Young-sik, the Taiwanese Lin Yun-ju, the Singaporean Feng Tianwei, the Puerto Rican Adriana Díaz, the Romanian Bernadette Szocs, and the Egyptian Ahmed Saleh.
The event will be sponsored by the Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), which during yesterday’s press conference was announced as the presenting partner.
A presenting partner agreement was signed between the ID and GEG, followed by a cheque presentation ceremony that confirmed the sponsorship from GEG to be the amount of 16 million patacas.
According to the organizers, WTT Macao has a total prize-money of USD 800,000 (MOP 6.4 million), equally divided between the male and female categories.
Grand Prix to run with 123 drivers, 99% preparation complete
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the WTT Macao presentation, the president of Sports Bureau, Pun Weng Kun noted that the preparatory work for the Macau Grand Prix event is running according to the plan and that all preparations are mostly concluded.
“99% percent of the work has been done, now missing only small details that come with the kick-off of the event,” Pun said in response to a media question.
Pun also said that the entry lists are now closed and that the event this year will have the presence of a total of 123 drivers divided into five different categories, as announced last week. The event this year will run over three days, one day fewer than in previous years due to the lack of participation from international racers due to the restrictions imposed on the entry in Macau of foreign nationals due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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