India To Compete In 16-team ITTF Mixed Team World Cup

India will compete in second edition of ITTF Mixed Team World Cup for Guoliang-Sörling Trophy along with 15 or teams.

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Friday unveiled elite 16-team line-up for tournament scheduled to be held in Chengdu, China from December 1-8. hosts China are defending champions.

or 14 teams to compete are -- Australia, Cana, Chinese Taipei, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Sweden and United States of America (USA).

tournament will have a three-st format, with St 1 consisting of 16 teams divided into four groups of four.

highest-ranked sides have been placed in different groups, whereas remaining teams have been drawn two at a time in seeding order after a snake system. Every group will be competing in a complete round-robin format.

As for St 2, top two sides from every St 1 group will vance and form a single eight-team group, competing in ar round-robin format.

However, re will be a strategic variation, as sides that have alrey faced each or in St 1 won’t clash in this round, while ir previous results will get carried forward.

In St 3, top four teams after St 2’s standings will make it to kckout phase featuring semi-finals along with placement matches.

semi-finals will be decided via ranking, with first-placed team facing fourth-placed side, while second goes against third. Each team’s journey terminates with eir final or bronze medal contest.

"This comprehensive format, totalling 52 matches across all sts (24 in St 1, 24 in St 2, and 4 in St 3), guarantees that eventual champions must demonstrate both consistency through round-robin phases and excellence in kckout st," said ITTF in a release.

For order of play, it will be -- Mixed doubles, Women’s singles (player t playing mixed doubles), Men’s singles (player t playing mixed doubles), Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles or Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles and Men’s doubles vs Men’s doubles or Women’s doubles vs Women’s doubles.

All individual fixtures will be played in best-of-three games format, while team matches end when a side emerges victorious in eight clashes.

" Mixed Team World Cup represents a unique celebration of equality in table tennis, with each team featuring between three and four players of each .

"This format has alrey proven to be a hit with fans and players alike during last year’s inaugural event, combining men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches throughout competition," release ded.