Dubai: If there is one sport every sportsman has played at some time or the other in their careers, it has to be table tennis. Be it a tennis player, a footballer or a cricketer, they have all smacked a ping pong ball across the table. The Chinese have of course taken the sport to an altogether different level and the reverberations are being felt here in Dubai.
Back at the start of the year brand Dubai announced their sponsorship of the Chinese national side which gave UAE’s No. 1 player Rashid Omar the chance to rub shoulders with the top Chinese players. And the new-found love affair between China and the UAE continued when world No. 1 Xin Xu, along with Omar, unveiled a new initiative called Ping Pong Dubai on the sidelines of the just-concluded World Table Tennis Championships.
Ping Pong Dubai is a non-profit venture between the UAE Table Tennis Association, Dubai Sports Council and Falcon and Associates, which facilitated the Chinese national table tennis team sponsorship. It will kick off with an inaugural event in June at Dubai Sports World, the largest indoor summer sports event in the Middle East, taking place from June 21 – August 21 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Twelve free-to-use tables will be located in Sheikh Saeed Hall, while UAE players and coaches will make regular appearances to help inspire youngsters, as well as guide players on how to get the most from the game.
Speaking about the new venture, Omar said: “Ping Pong Dubai is a community initiative with a simple aim – to encourage people from all walks of life to pick up a bat and discover that table tennis is a fun and social way to be more active. We have an exciting calendar of accessible events and activities which we hope will inspire people to get involved and help stimulate the sport’s growth.”
Omar was recently in Paris taking part in the world championships and recorded a historic first when he and Rashid Mohammad made it to the Round of 64 in men’s doubles after seeing off opponents from Mongolia, Norway and powerhouses USA. “We came close to entering the Round of 32 and only just lost 4-2 to Spain. But it was a good effort and now we are looking forward to more table tennis action this year,” Omar said.
A long training camp awaits the UAE players as they build their way to winning the elusive GCC Cup in September, an event where they have finished runner-up for the last three years. But Omar promised to spend as much time as possible during the one month at Ping Pong Dubai. “All of us national team players will be there to encourage youngsters. Our coaches will also be present. The idea is to unearth new talent and this venture is a good way of doing so,” he said.
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Events calendar
• The Pavilion Downtown Dubai, The Archive - Safa Park and the Magazine Shop at Media City and DIFC will host regular Ping Pong Dubai events
• Tournament for 30 schools from across Dubai is scheduled for November
• Outdoor tables will be installed at Jumeirah and Mamzar Beach Parks and Safa Park
Ping pong will be a feature at DIFC and Al Serkal Art Nights
Details of when coaches will be available will be posted on the Ping Pong Dubai Facebook page, along with regular updates on forthcoming events and activities.
