Nat’l Table Tennis C’ships return after 30 months

After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, the 40th National Table Tennis Championships will begin today at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in Dhaka, featuring over 450 paddlers -- double the number from the last edition in July 2023.

Like before, there will be two groups, with 309 paddlers, including 72 women, competing across eight events: men's singles, men's doubles, men's team, women's singles, women's doubles, women's team, and mixed doubles. Junior paddlers will also get four new events in the eight-day tournament: boys' doubles, boys' team, girls' doubles, and girls' team. Also, as many as 58 U-19 girls are set to participate.

"The junior players will compete in the first three days, which may be less competitive, but we are expecting the senior players to bring intensity, having been active in training or domestic and international competitions," Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation (BTTF) general secretary Captain Maqsood Ahmed told reporters yesterday.

Participants include 41 districts, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Ansar, Jail Police, Bangladesh Biman, Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Jagannath University, and BKSP.

"We are going to hold the national championships for 2025, and we will organise another National Championship this year, as well as the premier league," said the former table tennis player, adding that they also plan to organise junior championships for U-11, U-12, U-13, U-14, and U-15 at the divisional headquarters to make table tennis more popular countrywide.

BTTF president Shamsu Ahmed, however, admitted the federation is struggling to secure sponsors, some of whom backed out citing the sport's limited popularity.

He further informed BTTF president Shamsuzzaman Nasim stepped in to provide an estimated budget of 25 lakh taka. However, no prize money has been allocated, Ahmed noted, as funds are needed for participants' accommodation, food, and transport.