Zhang Jike And Xu Xin In The 2016 Asian Cup's Finals

China vs China will be the final of the 2016 Asian Cup. Zhang Jike and Xu Xin booked a place in the final which will be held tomorrow. The Olympic champion emerged successfully over Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, while Xu Xin defeated Gao Ning.  China already secured the first place at the 2016 Asian Cup held in Dubai, UAE. Zhang Jike and Xu Xin booked their place in the final match which will be held tomorrow. On his way to the final, Xu Xin, top seed, defeated Lee Sangsu of South Korea by 11-7, 17-15, 9-11, 11-9 and 11-1 in quarerfinals and Gao Ning by 8-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 and 11-1 in semifinals.   To reach the final, the Olympic champion overcame Chinese Taipei's Chiang Hung-Chieh by 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 12-10 and 11-2 in quarterfinals and Hong Kong's Wong Chun Ting by 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5 and 11-8 in semifinals.   The final match will be played tomorrow Saturday at 16:30 (local time) 

Liu Shiwen And Li Xiaoxia Wil Fight For The 2016 Asian Cup's Title

The women's final at the 2016 Asian Cup will be a Chinese duel too. Liu Shiwen and Li Xiaoxia put their names in the final match and will fight for the title. The world runner-up defeated Hong Kong's Tie Yana in semifinals, while Li Xiaoxia stood victorious over Singapore's Feng Tianwei.  China will recover the women's crown at the Asian Cup. Liu Shiwen and Li Xiaoxia in the final match of the 2016 Asian Cup held in Dubai, UAE.  
Liu Shwen, who lost to Feng Tianwei in last year's final, goes for revenge. To book a place in the final match, she overcame Japan's Mima Ito by 11-5, 11-5, 12-10, 9-11 and 11-4 in quarterfinals. In semifinals the world runner-up beat Hong Kong's Tie Yana by 11-1, 11-5, 11-7 and 11-4.   Li Xiaoxia reached the final as she emerged successfully over Hong Kong's Jiang Huajun by 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-3, 6-11 and 11-5. In semifinals the world champion overcame defending champion Feng Tainwei by 11-7, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 9-11 and 11-6.   The final match will be played tomorrow Saturday at 15:30 (local time). 

Zhang Jike Hopes To Prove Himself In The Asian Cup

Zhang Jike participates in this week’s Asian Cup and he is off to a good start in the competition after he nailed thee sweep victories in the group stage. In his interview, he said that his attendance in the Asian Cup is for him to show how much he has already recovered. Of course, it is to assess his capacity for the bigger game in August, the Rio Olympics.  
Sohu Sports. The Asian Cup had its first day of competition yesterday and the Grand Slam champion Zhang Jike posted a very convincing performance.   
Zhang Jike had a good start in the competition. In the group stage, he nailed three sweep victories against Wong Chun Ting, Lee Sangsu, and Sharath Kamal Achanta respectively.   According to Zhang Jike, he hopes that he would be able to prove and show to the coaching staff, specifically to Liu Guoliang how much he has recovered, and that he can be trusted with the heavy responsibility for the Olympics.   
“I had some conversations with coach Liu Guoliang. Because there are not much competitions before the Olympics, and I didn’t play in a lot of matches in 2015, and I also lost in a lot of them, so I have to participate in the Asian Cup to check how much my condition has recovered.” Zhang Jike said.   As for the Olympic Games, Zhang Jike feels that the Rio Olympics could be different with that of the London Olympics.   
“I have participated in the London Olympics before but this time, the rhythm of the preparation might not be completely the same with the last one. Whether looking at my age or energy, I was better than now. With my increasing age, how to achieve the most reasonable match is the most important.” Zhang Jike said.   Zhang Jike won his quarterfinal match today against Chiang Hung Chieh in 11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 12-10, 11-2.

Kong Linghui: The Defeat Came Very Timely

Surprises can happen anytime and the Chinese Team were surprised during the recently concluded Asian Olympic Qualifier. It was not a very good surprise for them after problems surfaced in the performance of Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen. Fortunately for the Chinese Team, these surprises came with a good timing where they still have time to prepare.  Sina Sports. The Chinese Team exposed some problems in the Asian Olympic Qualifier and for the team such defeats had a very good timing.  
 “Liu Shiwen lost the match because of problems in her mentality. It caused chaos in her rhythm. Ding Ning exposed some problems in her technical adjustments. Although she was leading, she was not able to win it. There were also some changes in her mental state.” Kong Linghui said.   In the recently concluded Asian Olympic Qualifier, both Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning failed to meet the expectations after they lost to foreign players, Doo Hoi Kem and Mima Ito respectively.  
 “In this time, losing is really worthy of a summary. It is very timely. It is much better than those problems appearing in the Olympics.” Kong Linghui added.   Liu Shiwen will have her opportunity to redeem herself as she is scheduled to participate and defend the Chinese Team in the Asian Cup. 

Zhang Jike upbeat about Asian Cup Dubai and local support

Dubai will be hosting another international competition which will gather some of the best table tennis players in Asia. This competition is the 2016 Asian Cup and one of the representatives of the Chinese Team will be Zhang Jike. In an interview, the Grand Slam champion is excited to compete in Dubai knowing that they have a lot of supporters. Sohu Sports. The Asian Cup is several days from now and the Grand Slam champion Zhang Jike is already feeling excited about the competition.   
“The table tennis fans of Dubai and their enthusiasm are very inspiring.” Zhang Jike said.   Zhang Jike will be one of the representatives of the Chinese National Team for the upcoming Asian Cup to be held in Dubai. According to the Grand Slam champion, this competition feels like competing in his own country.  
 “There are 200,000 Chinese people living in Dubai and they always cheer for the Chinese Team. I almost feel like I am playing in my own court.” Zhang Jike said.   
Dubai has been a major sponsor of table tennis and the Chinese National Team. The city has initiated the Ping Pong Dubai which enhances the interest of people to play the sport.  
  “Ping Pong Dubai in the local area is very exciting. Everyone can enjoy table tennis, regardless the age, level or physical fitness. Place a pingpong table in the park and it will reflect a certain kind of spirit.” Zhang Jike concluded.   The Asian Cup will be held in Dubai on April 28 to 30. 

Asian Olympic Qualification hands reality check to Chinese team as Liu Shiwen was defeated by Doo Hoi Kem, Ding Ning was blocked by Mima Ito, and Xu Xin was eliminated by Chuang Chih Yuan.

Xu Xin, Liu Shiwen, and Ding Ning failed the golden rule of the Chinese Team in the recently concluded Asian Olympic Qualifier after they were defeated by foreign players. According to Liu Guoliang such performance showed big risk but it was not entirely a bad thing. Aside from that, the head coach also said that the lack of systematic training was one of the factors of their defeat.  Sina Sports. Some Chinese players posted defeat in the Asian Olympic Qualifier and this made Liu Guoliang see a big risk.  
 The Chinese Team was not spared from the challenge in the Asian Olympic Qualifier after three of their members lost to foreign players. Liu Shiwen was defeated by Doo Hoi Kem, Ding Ning was blocked by Mima Ito, and Xu Xin was eliminated by Chuang Chih Yuan.   
“The players are used to have systematic training before every competition. This time, it has some effects on the competition. In addition, foreign players are desperate to add some points, which is not the same with us.” Liu Guoliang said.   
 As for the Chinese Team, not losing to any foreign players has always been their standard in any competition. However for the two coaches, the results of the qualifier will not change their plans for the Olympic preparation.   “Defeat was good. A bad situation can be changed to a good one. It was able to sound the alarm for the team. Looking at victory is certainly not easy. Especially that during the time when there is inadequate preparation, risk is relatively big.” Liu Guoliang concluded.  

ITTF Opens up Bidding for Revamped 2017 ITTF World Tour

he International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has opened bids for the new and improved 2017 ITTF World Tour.

The revamped and restructured ITTF World Tour will have a new look and image in 2017 to make the tour a much more attractive proposition to countries and cities to promote themselves globally through table tennis.

ITTF's President Thomas WEIKERT stated: "The ITTF World Tour has been a very valuable property since its inception in 1996. However, the ITTF believed it was time to shake up the World Tour to make it more commercially viable for potential hosts, and to increase the overall economic situation of the tour. We believe the changes implemented will take the already successful ITTF World Tour to the next level."

There are 12 ITTF World Tour events available for bidding in 2017, which are split into two tiers. Six ITTF World Tour Platinum events, which is the new top tier of the World Tour, and six regular ITTF World Tour events.

The six ITTF World Tour Platinum events will have higher prize money, and be of a higher level event, which will ensure the world's best players' attendance, resulting in more international exposure for the hosts.

The current third tier of the ITTF World Tour, the ITTF World Tour Challenge series will be removed from the ITTF World Tour for 2017 and form a new property called the ITTF Challenge Series, which will be the development tour of the ITTF.

The ITTF World Tour has consistently been a great avenue for countries and cities to gain global reach, promotion and recognition as the below figures portray:

• 20 TV broadcasters in 80 countries with a potential reach of over 550 million;
• 405 hours of the World Tour broadcasted, including 62.5 hours on China's national broadcaster CCTV, reaching 157 million people in total;
• US$2.2 million in TV media value for the city of Berlin at the 2016 ITTF World Tour German Open;
• 16 million video views of 2015 ITTF World Tour online videos;
• Connection to ITTF's 1.3 million social media fans;
• 21% of the global population is interested in Table Tennis.

World Number One MA Long Edges Closer to Olympic Dream

Stage One of the 2016 ITTF-Asia Olympic Qualification Tournament has concluded in Hong Kong today, 14 April 2016, with the 5 male & 5 female winners of the 5 different Asian regions (East Asia, South East Asia, South Asia, West Asia & Middle Asia) securing their singles spots at the Rio 216 Olympic Games later this year.

Considered as the region with the fiercest competition, China’s MA Long and LI Xiaoxia secured their golden ticket to Brazil after eliminating Asia’s top ranked players en route to their qualification.

Hot favorite for Rio, current world champion MA Long dominated his 19-year-old teammate FAN Zhendong in the East Asian region men’s singles finals. After losing the first game 16-18, the world number one recovered to take the next 4 games to take the home the golden ticket to the Olympic Games (16-18, 11-3, 11-6, 11-7, 13-11).

After his victory, MA shared “The Olympic Games is one big goal in my career, and means a lot to me. I’m glad that I have now qualified for it, and I will fight for my first singles gold medal in Rio!”

With the surprise early exit of world number 1 LIU Shiwen by Hong Kong’s DOO Hoi Kem, and 2015 World Champion DING Ning’s defeat to Japan’s 15-year-old Mima ITO, LI was the only Chinese player remaining in the arena to fight for direct qualification in Hong Kong after knocking out compatriot ZHU Yuling in the quarterfinals.

LI faced off Japan’s Kasumi ISHIKAWA, whom she recently met at the World Team Championships women’s final match. With her injuries better under control in Hong Kong, LI was able to pull off a convincing 4-0 victory against ISHIKAWA (11-9, 11-8, 11-3, 11-4).

“I think I did well today against Ishikawa, giving her much pressure during the match,” stated the 28-year-old. “Ishikawa is very stable and has been improving under the supervision of the Chinese coaches in the Japanese team.”

The Chinese pair will be joined by the Singaporean duo of FENG Tianwei and CHEN Feng, who won the South East Asia region men’s and women’s event, defeating teammates YU Mengyu and LI Hu respectively.

Having only India participating in the South Asia event, Soumyajit GHOSH and Manika BATRA seized the opportunity against their teammates, topping their group to secure their ticket to Rio.

In the West Asia event, Qatar’s LI Ping emerged victorious, beating Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz AL-ABBAD in four straight games, while Lebanon’s Mariana SAHAKIAN had to overcome teammate Malak KHORY 4-2.

Iran finished off the list of qualifiers in stage one, qualifying Nima ALAMIAN and Neda SHAHSAVARI, in the Middle Asia event.

The ITTF-Asia Olympic Qualification Tournament continues tomorrow, 15 April, as Asia’s top players who did not qualify in stage one will be fighting for the remaining 6 men’s and 6 women’s qualifier spots in stage two of the tournament.

List of Stage One Qualifiers from the 2016 ITTF-Asia Olympic Qualification Tournament:

Women

• East Asia: LI Xiaoxia – China
• South East Asia: FENG Tianwei – Singapore
• South Asia: Manika BATRA – India
• West Asia: Mariana SAHAKIAN – Lebanon
• Middle Asia: Neda SHAHSAVARI – Iran

Men

• East Asia: MA Long - China
• South East Asia: CHEN Feng – Singapore
• South Asia: Soumyajit GHOSH – India
• West Asia: LI Ping – Qatar
• Middle Asia: Nima ALAMIAN – Iran

2016 ITTF-Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament Day 2 schedule

2016 ITTF-Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament, Hong Kong, HKG , Apr 13 -Apr 17
Today's Matches
	14/4 09:30 T1 Women's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 ISHIKAWA Kasumi JPN vs LEE Ho Ching HKG --- ---  - 14/4 09:30 T2 Women's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 FENG Tianwei SIN vs KOMWONG Nanthana THA --- ---  - 14/4 09:30 T3 Women's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 INDRIANI Lilis INA vs SAWETTABUT Suthasini THA --- ---  - 14/4 09:30 T4 Women's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 DOO Hoi Kem HKG vs JEON Jihee ^ KOR --- ---  - 14/4 10:20 T1 Men's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 MA Long CHN vs WONG Chun Ting HKG --- ---  - 14/4 10:20 T2 Men's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 GAO Ning SIN vs WISUTMAYTHANGKOON Supanut THA --- ---  - 14/4 10:20 T3 Men's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 TANVIRIYAVECHAKUL Padasak THA vs CHEN Feng ^ SIN --- ---  - 14/4 10:20 T4 Men's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 MIZUTANI Jun JPN vs ZHANG Jike CHN --- ---  - 14/4 11:10 T1 Women's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 LI Xiaoxia CHN vs ZHU Yuling CHN --- ---  - 14/4 11:10 T2 Women's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 PARANANG Orawan THA vs YU Mengyu SIN --- ---  - 14/4 11:10 T3 Women's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 ZHOU Yihan ^ SIN vs LIN Ye ^ SIN --- ---  - 14/4 11:10 T4 Women's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 ITO Mima JPN vs DING Ning CHN --- ---  - 14/4 12:00 T1 Men's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 TANG Peng HKG vs FAN Zhendong CHN --- ---  - 14/4 12:00 T2 Men's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 PRAMONO Agus INA vs LI Hu ^ SIN --- ---  - 14/4 12:00 T3 Men's Singles Stage 1 - South East Asia 8 YANG Zi SIN vs SANTOSO Ficky INA --- ---  - 14/4 12:00 T4 Men's Singles Stage 1 - East Asia 8 XU Xin CHN vs CHUANG Chih-Yuan TPE --- ---  - 14/4 14:00 T2 Women's Singles Stage 1 - Middle Asia 4 KIM Olga UZB vs SLADKOVA Nataliya KAZ --- ---  - 14/4 14:00 T3 Women's Singles Stage 1 - West Asia 4 SAHAKIAN Mariana LIB vs AL-WEDIAN Bara JOR --- ---  - 14/4 14:50 T2 Women's Singles Stage 1 - Middle Asia 4 GUFRANOVA Rimma UZB vs SHAHSAVARI Neda IRI --- ---  - 14/4 14:50 T3 Women's Singles Stage 1 - West Asia 4 KHORY Malak ^^ LIB vs MOHAMED Aia QAT --- ---  - 14/4 15:40 T2 Men's Singles Stage 1 - Middle Asia 4 ALAMIAN Nima IRI vs NOROOZI Afshin IRI --- ---  - 14/4 15:40 T3 Men's Singles Stage 1 - West Asia 4 LI Ping ^ QAT vs ABO YAMAN Zaid JOR --- ---  - 14/4 16:30 T2 Men's Singles Stage 1 - Middle Asia 4 GERASSIMENKO Kirill KAZ vs ALAMIYAN Noshad IRI --- ---  - 14/4 16:30 T3 Men's Singles Stage 1 - West Asia 4 ALKHADRAWI Ali KSA vs AL-ABBAD Abdulaziz KSA --- ---  -

India Secures Olympic Games Places but Surprise Name En Route to Rio de Janeiro

Eyes focused very much on the East Asia Zone on the first day of action, Wednesday 12th April, at the 2016 ITTF-Asia Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong; understandable, it is the competition in which reigning Olympic champions and reigning World champions are to be found.

There were surprises and there were surprises elsewhere; especially in the South Asia Zone where only India was involved.
Unexpected Defeats
In the Men’s Singles event which involved one group of four players, Sharath Kamal Achanta, who has been the country’s leading player for some two decades, won just one match.

Clearly impeded by injury, suffering when making any movement, he experienced two defeats in a group organised competition that witnessed four players in action. He accounted for Harmeet Desai (11-6, 11-9, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5) but was beaten by both Amalraj Anthony (7-11, 4-11, 11-9, 9-11, 18-16, 11-6, 11-7) and by Soumyajit Ghosh (11-8, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7).

Success for Soumyajit Ghosh; he is the man in the South Asia Zone who has booked his place in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games; in addition to beating Sharath Kamal Achanta, he overcame Harmeet Desai (11-6, 11-9, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5) and Amalraj Anthony (11-8, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7).

Manika Batra
Meanwhile, in the counterpart Women’s Singles event, the player to join Soumyajit Ghosh in Rio de Janeiro is Manika Batra.

She was beaten in her opening contest by Pooja Sahasrabudhe (11-7, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7) but then recovered to overcome Shamini Kumaresan (4-11, 11-9, 11-3, 15-13, 8-11, 11-9) and Mouma Das (11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6).

Two wins for Manika Batra, it was the same for Shamini Kumaresan. She accounted for Mouma Das (12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5) and Pooja Sahasrabudhe (11-9, 11-6, 11-2, 13-11); pertinently, the latter in her one further match in the group experienced defeat at the hands of Mouma Das (8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 11-7).

In such instances, the contest between the two players who are level, decides the outcome; thus it was first place for Manika Batra with Shamini Kumaresan in second spot.

South East Asia Zone
Meanwhile in the South East Asia Zone, Singapore is present in numbers. Proceedings have reached the quarter-final stage, in the Men’s Singles event Singapore is involved in all four matches.

Gao Ning meets Thailand’s Supanut Wisutmaythangkoon, Chen Feng faces Padasak Tanviriyavechakul, also from Thailand; whilst in the opposite half of the draw Yang Zi opposes and Li Hu both confront adversaries from Indonesia.Yang Zi plays Ficky Supit Santoso, Li Hu opposes Angus Pramon.

Similarly, in the last eight of the South East Asia Zone Women’s Singles event, four players from Singapore are present. Zhou Yihan and Lin Ye meet in an all Singapore affair, in the same half of the draw Yu Mengyu confronts Thailand’s Orawan Paranang.

In the adjacent half of the draw it is Feng Tianwei versus Nanthana Komwong, also from Thailand; whilst in the one contest not featuring a Singapore player, it is Indonesia’s Lilis Indriani versus Nathana Komwong’s colleague, Suthasini Sawettabu.

West Asia Zone
The last eight known, in both the Middle Asia Zone and the West Asia Zone, the semi-finalists are known.

In the Men’s Singles event in the West Asia Zone Qatar’s Li Ping meets Jordan’s Zaid Abo Yaman; in the opposite half of the draw and all Saudi Arabian affair witnesses a contest between Ali Alkhadrawi and Abdulaziz Al-Abbad.

Qatar present, it is same in the counterpart Women’s Singles event; at the penultimate stage Aia Mohamed faces Lebanon’s Malak Khory, Mariana Sahakian, also from Lebanon, opposes Jordan’s Bara Al-Wedian.

Middle Asia Zone 
Notable in the Middle Asia Zone is Iran. At the semi-final stage of the Men’s Singles event Nima Alamian meets colleague Afshin Noroozi, Noshad Alamiyan opposes Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko.

Likewise in the Women’s Singles event Iran is represented. Neda Sahasavari faces Uzbekistan’s Rimma Gufranova; in the adjacent half of the draw, the latter’s colleague Olga Kin confronts Kazakhstan’s Nataya Sladova.

Zone Qualifiers Decided 
The five Zone events conclude on Thursday 14th April.

Liu Shiwen Lost In The Asian Olympic Qualifier

Liu Shiwen celebrated her 25th birthday yesterday while the draw for the Asian Olympic Qualifier was announced. For her, the result of the draw was normal and she didn’t feel any signs of big pressure. She also said that she is excited and hope she can participate in the Rio Olympics. Today, unfortunately, she was not able to perform well as expected.  Sina Sports. The Asian Olympic Qualifier started today and it was not a good start for the top seed Liu Shiwen who posted a defeat today.  

 Liu Shiwen and the rest of the Chinese Women’s Team arrived in Hong Kong last weekend for the Asian Olympic Qualifier, and yesterday, the draw for the competition was released. Aside from that, it was also the birthday of the world’s number one, Liu Shiwen.   

When interviewed by Sina Sports, Liu Shiwen revealed her birthday wish. “First, I hope that I would be able to participate in the Olympic Games, then win the title for the Chinese Team.” Liu Shiwen said.   

As for the draw, Liu Shiwen is not much bothered. “The result of the draw was quite normal. As of now, my confidence is okay. Actually, it is the same for everyone and will continue to fight. This is my first time to play in this kind of competition. I’m very excited. I hope to fully enjoy it.” She added.   Today, April 13, Liu Shiwen faced Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong, and it was a 2-4 defeat for the Chinese top seed. She lost in 9-11, 5-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-4, 7-11. This will definitely sound the alarm for the coaching staff once again. 

The Chinese Men’s Team has sent its full force in the 2016 Asian Olympic Qualifier this week in Hong Kong. Today, the competition started and Zhang Jike faced a difficult match from a familiar opponent named Chen Chien An. Zhang Jike was pushed into the edge but fortunately, he was able to recover and sealed a victory.  Sina Sports. The 2016 Asian Olympic Qualifier has already started and the Grand Slam champion Zhang Jike was immediately faced with a difficult situation.    
Zhang Jike had a critical match in the first day of the competition. His first opponent was Chen Chien An of Chinese Taipei. Based on record, the player from Chinese Taipei has already defeated Zhang Jike in the 2013 World Team Cup.   
However, after that incident, Zhang Jike has already played better. This time, Zhang Jike exposed some of his problems once again. He was down in 2-3 and was behind in 9-10 in the sixth set. Fortunately for him, he was able to save it after winning three straight points.   In the decider, Zhang Jike didn’t give any opportunities to his opponent anymore. He swept Chen Chien An in 11-3. Eventually, Zhang Jike posted a victory 4-3.   In this match, Zhang Jike’s biggest mistake is a slow momentum. This problem has long been determined by the head coach Liu Guoliang and he has also made a lot of measures to address such problem, but once in a while it still resurfaces. Definitely, this will be look into much more detailed in the further preparation. 

Kanak Jha Becomes Youngest Ever Male Table Tennis Olympian

American Kanak JHA has become the youngest ever male athlete to qualify for the table tennis event at the Olympic Games.

15-year-old JHA secured his spot at Rio 2016 by defeating USA's number one Timothy WANG 4-0 at the ITTF-North American Olympic Qualification Tournament which concluded Sunday 10 April in Toronto, Canada.

JHA, who is now the first ever USA athlete born in the 2000's to become an Olympian stated: "It feels unbelievable to have qualified. I thought I had lost my match in the semifinals, but was so relieved when I won. This tournament has been very stressful, but in the end, it's all worth it, as my dream has came true, and I am very excited about going to the Olympic Games."

Joining JHA on the plane to Rio from North America are Canada's Eugene WANG and USA's FENG Yijun. Despite Timothy WANG losing to JHA, he will still head to Rio as USA's third player to play in the teams event, as USA qualified the one team spot available.

America's Lily ZHANG, who qualified for London 2012 Olympic Games, secured her second Olympic appearance without losing a match in Toronto.

ZHANG, who will still just be 20 years old when playing at Rio 2016 stated: "I still can't believe it! It feels like I'm in a cloud, so excited and proud to represent the US at the Olympics. I definitely do think this time around I'll be more prepared and a little less star struck!"

The 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist ZHANG will be joined by America's WU Yue, who secured her spot by winning last year's Pan American Games, plus Canada's ZHANG Mo, who will be competing in her third Olympic Games.

As USA secured team qualification, ZHENG Jiaqi will also be heading to Rio, as USA's team player.

Full list of North American qualified players for Rio 2016:

Men

• WANG Eugene - Canada
• FENG Yijun - USA
• JHA Kanak - USA
• WANG Timothy USA (team only)

Women

• WU Yue - USA
• ZHANG Lily - USA
• ZHANG Mo - Canada
• ZHENG Jiaqi USA (team only)

Table Tennis for NepALL - Inauguration Ceremony on 6 April 2016

On April 6, Kathmandu has the honour to be the capital of the World Table Tennis Day (WTTD), celebrated by Table Tennis enthusiasts all over the world to show the public a sport able to gather all kind of people having fun while playing Table Tennis.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) chose Nepal to host the WTTD main event as it coincides with the launching of 'Table Tennis for NepALL - Project', a motivating sample project that aims to develop the practice of Table Tennis among people with a disability in Nepal. The same ceremony inaugurates the newly renovated Para Table Tennis Training Centre in Kathmandu (damaged by last year's earthquake) and celebrates the International Day on Sport for Development and Peace.

Table Tennis for NepALL runs for three years and is organized by 'All Nepal Table Tennis Association' (ANTTA), 'Nepalese Disabled Table Tennis Association' (NDTTA) together with International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace and the International Working Group supports the project.

It will run simultaneously in Biratnagar, Pokhara, Nepaljung, Dhangadi and two locations in Kathmandu and will provide opportunities for all persons with disabilities by empowering, strengthening, and integrating them in using Para Table Tennis as vehicle for a positive social change. The undertaking includes the sensitization of local coaches, the improvement of accessibility for players with a disability in local community clubs and the creation of a solid network between Para Table Tennis Clubs and local organizations to develop Para Table Tennis in Nepal and train Role Models.

High ranked guests confirmed their attendance like ITTF President Thomas WEIKERT, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried LEMKE,International Working Group Co-chair of the Sport and Person with Disabilities Young Sam MA, and role model Melissa TAPPER, Australian player who has become the first ever Australian player to qualify for both the Olympics and Paralympics at Rio 2016.

The event takes place on 6 April 2016 at 11:00 am at NDA Khagendra New Life Jorpati Training Centre Kathmandu, Nepal and is opened to the public.

ITTF Signs Chinese Digital Deal with SECA

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), brokered by rights holders TMS International, has agreed a partnership deal with SECA for all internet and mobile rights within Mainland China.

The exclusive deal will run for four years, between 2017 and 2020, and is the start of a new era of ITTF's digital rights within China. As part of the deal, both the ITTF and SECA agree to further explore opportunities in overall brand marketing, local activation and new exciting initiatives for the sport.

TMS International Managing Director Anders THUNSTROM stated: "TMS International is very pleased to have concluded this agreement with SECA, that will have a particular emphasis to catering to the youth. I am sure SECA will be an excellent partner for TMS and ITTF in distributing World Title events in table tennis over the Internet, into mobile phones and other devices".

SECA CEO and Founder LI Sheng stated: "Table tennis is known as the national sport of China with 190 million people watching the recent World Team Table Tennis Championships and there being 30 million registered table tennis players across the country. These facts combined confirms the infinite potential in the Chinese table tennis market, which is shared by both SECA and the ITTF"

"It is SECA's great honor to become one of ITTF's Chinese partners to promote table tennis in China by presenting it as fashionable and entertaining to gain value within China. SECA will use new technologies like visual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality within table tennis broadcasts to ensure it becomes more and more attractive and valuable for all stakeholders."

ITTF President Thomas WEIKERT added: "This deal with SECA is the first step of a greater partnership to grow table tennis brand. We are excited to be working with a new, motivated partner and we have seen some great work SECA has been doing in several other sporting properties. We are sure they will help us to lift our sport to greater heights"

Within the new deal, SECA obtains the internet and mobile rights within China for the following ITTF events:

• World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC)
• Men's World Cup
• Women's World Cup
• World Team Cup (held every two years, 2017 and 2019 only)
• World Junior Table Tennis Championships
• World Tour and World Tour Grand Finals

15-Year-old Diaz Secures Historic Olympic Qualification

15-year-old Adriana DIAZ has created history by becoming the first ever Puerto Rican to qualify for the table tennis event at the Olympic Games.

The rising superstar booked her place at Rio 2016, at the 2016 ITTF-Latin America Olympic Qualifications held on 1-3 April 2016 in Santiago, Chile.

Despite being the youngest player at the event, DIAZ was the number one seed, she stated after her emotional victory: "I can't believe I have qualified, by dream of representing my country at the Olympic Games. It was extremely tough to qualify here. I said to myself fight, no surrender, it was very close and my team mates really helped me. Now for Rio and a great experience"ÂÂÂ

Joining DIAZ in Rio will be Columbia's Lady RUANO, who is 19 years DIAZ's senior, as well as the Brazillian pair of Caroline KUMAHARA and GUI Lin, Mexico's Yadira SILVA and Venezuela's Gremlis ARVELO.

After being defeated in the decisive contest to secure a place at Beijing 2008, and four years later to again miss out on a place at London 2012, Mexico's Marcos MADRID finally secured his dream of becoming an Olympian by qualifying for Rio 2016.

"Really I fought like a dog, I left my home over eight years ago with the goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games, now thanks to the support from my family, I have achieved my goal" , said MADRID. "It is the greatest moment of my career, against Gustavo it was an intense struggle, each point was hard fought, now my dream has come true, I can enjoy my dream."

One of the men that MADRID beat on the way to qualification, top seeded Gustavo TSUBOI from Brazil, had to wait until the final match to ensure the final Latin American spot for Rio 2016 was his.

TSUBOI, who was expected to cruise through the qualifications, being the highest ranked player at the qualification event stated: "I am very happy to have eventually overcome many problems here in Santiago, five months ago I injured my playing arm and I only started to practice again one month ago. I have trained really hard for this event, in the past I have qualified on the first day but here it was much harder, however, I had the support of my family and my coach."

Youth Olympian Brian AFANADOR followed in the footsteps of his countrywomen Adriana DIAZ to become the second Puerto Rican to play at the Olympic Games table tennis event. Along with them, the pair of Cubans Jorge CAMPOS and Andy PEREIRA make up the five men to qualify for Rio 2016, along with Hugo CALDERANO (BRA), who secured his position, by winning the Pan American Games last year.

Full list of Qualifiers from the 2016 ITTF-Latin American Olympic Qualification Tournament:

Women

• Adriana DIAZ - Puerto Rico
• Lady RUANO - Columbia
• Caroline KUMAHARA - Brazil
• GUI Lin - Brazil
• Yadira SILVA - Mexico
• Gremlis ARVELO - Venezuela

Men

• Marcos MADRID - Mexico
• Gustavo TSUBOI - Brazil
• Brian AFANADOR - Puerto Rico
• Jorge CAMPOS - Cuba
• Andy PEREIRA - Cuba

Borussia Düsseldorf took the lead in semifinals of the Bundesliga. The defending champion emerged successfully over Fulda-Maberzell in the first leg match. On Friday Ochsenhausen and FC. Saarbrücken will meet in the second semifinals. Borussia Düsseldorf is a step closer to reach the finals of the 2015-16 Bundesliga. The record-breaking club posted a sweeping victory over TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell in the first leg of semifinals. Timo Boll paved the way to victory as he overcame Jonathan Groth by 11-9, 11-6 and 11-5. In the second match Patrick Franziska defeated Wang Xi by 11-5, 11-7 and 11-7. In the third match Sharath Kamal Achanta beat Ruwen Filus by 11-6, 11-6 and 11-4. The second leg match will be held on 24th April. On Friday the second semifinal between TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen and FC Saarbrücken TT will be played.

Borussia Düsseldorf took the lead in semifinals of the Bundesliga. The defending champion emerged successfully over Fulda-Maberzell in the first leg match. On Friday Ochsenhausen and FC. Saarbrücken will meet in the second semifinals.

Borussia Düsseldorf is a step closer to reach the finals of the 2015-16 Bundesliga. The record-breaking club posted a sweeping victory over TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell in the first leg of semifinals.  

Timo Boll paved the way to victory as he overcame Jonathan Groth by 11-9, 11-6 and 11-5. In the second match Patrick Franziska defeated Wang Xi by 11-5, 11-7 and 11-7. In the third match Sharath Kamal Achanta beat Ruwen Filus by 11-6, 11-6 and 11-4.   

The second leg match will be held on 24th April.   On Friday the second semifinal between TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen and FC Saarbrücken TT will be played. 

Kong Linghui: Bad Luck In The World Championships

Liu Shiwen, Li Xiaoxia and Ding Ning all successfully defended the championship title for the Chinese Women’s Team in this year’s World Team Championships. It was actually a sweep victory for the Chinese Team but the process was not very ideal. Li Xiaoxia was stretched into a decider. According to Kong Linghui, it was not their lucky match but good thing they are dominant.   

Tencent Sports. The Chinese Women’s Team was the winner in the World Team Championships but Kong Linghui thinks that luck wasn’t on their side in the final match.   The Women’s Team event ended with China and Japan in the finals. Liu Shiwen was the first player and swept Ai Fukuhara.   The second match was between Li Xiaoxia and Kasumi Ishikawa. The Chinese Women’s Team head coach Kong Linghui expected Kasumi Ishikawa to have big changes in the competition, after all she would want to have a breakthrough.    

Indeed, Kasumi Ishikawa forced the Grand Slam champion Li Xiaoxia into the decider. “This was the first time that Kasumi Ishikawa gave her a lot of pressure.” Kong Linghui said.    

As the coach, Kong Linghui also had some backup plan incase something will turn out wrong in the second match. “If we lost the second match, we can still play. I arranged Ding Ning for the third match because last year, she was able to win very comfortably against Mima Ito twice.” He added.   But after three matches, China won against Japan. “Actually, luck wasn’t so good to us during the whole match in the finals but our entire team is dominant.” Kong Linghui concluded.