Odisha to host 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship

Odisha Government is set to host the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship at the Jawaharlal Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, scheduled for July 17 to 22. Through its Department of Sports and Youth Services (DSYS), the government of Odisha on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and Odisha State Table Tennis Association (OSTTA) to host the event. The MoU covered various obligations for the official conduct of the event.

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Commissioner-cum-secretary, Sports and Youth Services Department, Odisha, Vishal K Dev signed the MoU with Senior Vice President, TTFI, S. N. Sultan and President, OSTTA, L.N. Gupta in the presence of Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik and Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Tusharkanti Behera.

"Today's MoU signing for hosting the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in Cuttack is an important step for us in promoting sports and especially Table Tennis in the state," Patnaik said on the occasion.

"I congratulate TT Federation of India and the Odisha State TT Association for partnering with our Government in hosting this prestigious event. I hope this event will bring renewed focus on Table Tennis, in which India has been performing well in recent times. I extend my best wishes to the participating teams," he added.

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Minister for Sports and Youth Services, Government of Odisha, Tusharkanti Behera, said that the tournament will see the participation of best players from across the world.

"This championship will see participation from some of the best players from across the globe. Indian paddlers have displayed unprecedented performance at the Asiad and Commonwealth Games in 2018 and the upcoming Championship will be exciting for all to watch. We look forward to welcoming the teams and its officials to Odisha," Behera said.

Commending the Odisha Government, Dhanraj Choudhary, Director, ITTF and Advisor, TTFI said, "Odisha, with its finest sports infrastructure and expertise has a global recognition today for hosting international sporting events of repute. We are thankful to the State Government for organising this six-day Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. We are confident participants and spectators will leave with a positive experience."

OSTTA President, L. N. Gupta, IAS, said, "Odisha TT team is ranked 10 in the country and an international Table Tennis event in the home state is very encouraging for our players. They will get to witness great games, skills and tactics which they can observe and leverage in their individual performances. We are thankful to the State Government for taking a lead in promoting the sport."

The tournament has received a good entry with 14 associations, consisting India, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, England, Scotland, Wales, Jersey, Australia, Cyprus, South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan.