With the 2016 Olympic Games just over three months away, and selection still on the line for many of the world’s best players, the players will have an added motivation to do well at Zabeel Hall 1 in Dubai World Trade Centre.
The top 22 players in men’s and women’s singles on the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings in May 2016 will automatically be given the nod for an Olympic spot, but only two players per country can be allocated a place in the singles event. The remaining places are decided through a series of qualification tournaments.
With several countries boasting more than two players in the top 22, these tournaments offer the last chance for players to secure their Olympic berth before the rankings are announced.
As expected, the first of the qualifying tournament last week in Hong Kong produced some tough contests and surprising results. A number of players will now head to Dubai without the worry of being yet to qualify, while others will have to produce their best results this week.
Hong Kong was good news for India, and they will now field a full four-member team in Rio. Olympian Soumyajit Ghosh, who triumphed in Hong Kong, will be joined in the men’s singles competition in Rio by Achanta Sharath Kamal, who is lining up for his third Olympics.
In the women’s singles, India will be represented in Dubai and Rio by Manika Batra, India’s top female player, and will be joined by Mouma Das. Batra and Das joined forces in March this year to score a historic win in the second division of the World Team Table Tennis Championships (WTTTC).
Also coming through in Hong Kong was China’s Li Xiaoxia, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist who will now head to Rio to defend her title. Li will come to Dubai hoping to add the only title she is yet to win to add to her gold medals in Olympic, World Championships and World Cup.
Dawoud Al Hajiri, President of the UAE Badminton and Table Tennis Association, said: “The recent ITTF Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament showed the quality and caliber of players heading to Dubai this week. The competition will be hotly contested, with not only the Asian Cup title but also Olympic qualification points on the line, and the players will be giving it their all in every match.
“This year’s Asian Cup promises to be one of the most competitive yet, and with free entry to the event, is a wonderful opportunity to see the best in the world in action just 100 days before the Olympic Games.”
