Kathmandu: The South Asian Youth Table Tennis Tournament is set to kick off in Kathmandu from the upcoming Thursday, bringing together 85 players from six countries, including host nation Nepal. Organized by the All Nepal Table Tennis Association, the event will see participation from all South Asian countries, with the exception of Bhutan.
According to National News Agency Nepal, General Secretary of the Association, Kuber Prakash Singh, announced at a press conference that the tournament will take place over four days at the National Table Tennis Training Center in Lainchaur, Kathmandu. The tournament, part of the annual calendar of the Asian Table Tennis Union, will feature competitions in both the U-19 and U-15 age groups across team events, singles, doubles, and mixed doubles, with a total of 14 gold medals up for grabs.
The tournament also serves as a qualifying event for the Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship in Uzbekistan. Table tennis head coach Mohandas Basukala stated that the teams finishing first and second in the U-19 team competition will earn automatic qualification for the Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship. For countries that do not qualify through this tournament, a ‘quota’ for participation via wild cards will be available, ensuring an equal representation of male and female players in the U-15 age group.