International TT veterans explore Oman
A break in play on the third day of the World Veteran Table Tennis Championships - Muscat 2023 allowed competitors a unique opportunity to explore Oman and become better acquainted with the host city and is surroundings.
While some remained at Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre (OCEC) to fine tune their technique, many others took the chance to discover Oman with a trip to Wadi Shab and Nizwa last weekend, a press release said.
The World Veteran Table Tennis Championships also welcomes Princess Zeina Rashid of Jordan, ITTF Foundation Board Member and a table tennis player herself, to watch the next round of action and take in the atmosphere. The ITTF Foundation promotes the physical and mental health benefits of table tennis to people of all ages irrespective of gender, culture, social background, or physical ability.
The day concluded with a gala dinner in the evening, prepared by the organising committee to share Omani culture and officially welcome the players to the country. Alongside a traditional meal of local dishes, the visitors were treated to a musical performance and a chance to immerse themselves in Oman’s rich heritage.
The previous day saw some fierce competition in the Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles as teams completed their two group matches to determine who would be advancing to the next round.
Soman Ukkath Variath &
Husam Shalaby advanced to the Round of 32 where they will face Robert Shahnazari and Thor Truelson from the USA. Elsewhere, Diccon Gray and Shirley Gelder of England played out a dramatic five-game match with Stephen Hochman and Wendy Fang of the USA after being pegged back twice and finally triumphed in the deciding game. India’s Jayant Bhalchandra Kulkarni and Neeta
Jayant Kulkarni went through a similar battle in their match with Jean-marc Leroy of France and Hyelan Kim of Korea, overcoming a tie-break loss in the fourth game to edge the fifth and deciding game and take the match 32.
There was an equally dramatic match on table 37 as the German team of Jürgen Bayer and Simone Döbler won three successive games to come back from two down and win over Kailash Nichani and Deepa Vinod Jain of India.
Mohammed bin Salim al Oufi, Treasurer of the Omani Table Tennis Association and a member of the Organising Committee for the World Veteran Table Tennis Championship - Muscat 2023, explained that hosting this world championship in Muscat has greatly enhanced the presence of the Sultanate of Oman on the map of international sports, adding that the Omani Table Tennis Association has worked to host many international tournaments during the past several years, which has contributed to the accumulation of experience among the organising members.