It’s been six years since Odisha last hosted a major table tennis event. Back then, Cuttack welcomed the 2019 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, a time before global lockdowns became commonplace, when the state operated under a different regional governance, and A. Sharath Kamal was still the reigning star of Indian sports.
Now, after a six-year hiatus, top-tier table tennis makes its grand return to Odisha, with Bhubaneswar proudly hosting the 28th Asian Table Tennis Team Championships. The prestigious Kalinga Indoor Athletics Stadium is set to welcome over 300 delegates from 22 Asian countries for five days of intense competition, beginning this Saturday. The tournament promises a dazzling display of skill, featuring global giants like Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu in the women’s category, and Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong among the men.
While this championship also acts as a crucial qualifier for next year’s World Championships in London, both of India’s men’s and women’s teams have already secured their direct berths. This means their primary objective will be to defend the impressive twin bronze medals they clinched in 2023 – a challenge that will truly test the host nation’s talent pool and unwavering determination.
The Indian men’s squad, spearheaded by the dynamic pair of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar, is preparing for a challenging quarterfinal match against Hong Kong scheduled for Tuesday. Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, with star player Sreeja Akula unfortunately out due to a shoulder injury, Manika Batra will be looking to Diya Chitale to step up and help carry India’s hopes for a medal.
The tournament features strong contenders across both categories. Here are the key seedings and initial matchups to watch:
Seedings:
- Men: China, Chinese Taipei, Korea Republic, India, Japan, Hong Kong (China).
- Women: Japan, China, Hong Kong (China), India, DPR Korea, Korea Republic.
Quarterfinal Line-up:
- Men: Japan vs DPR Korea, Q1 vs India, Hong Kong (China) vs Republic of Korea, Q2 vs China.
- Women: China vs Q1, Japan vs Republic of Korea, India vs Hong Kong (China), Q2 vs Chinese Taipei.
Qualifier Groups:
- Women:
- Group A: Thailand, Mongolia, Sri Lanka.
- Group B: Singapore, Kazakhstan, Maldives.
- Group C: Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan, Macau (China), Bangladesh
- Group D: Malaysia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal.
- Men:
- Group A: Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan.
- Group B: Iran, Mongolia, Maldives.
- Group C: Singapore, Uzbekistan, Oman.
- Group D: Malaysia, DPR Korea, Macau (China).
- Group E: Thailand, Qatar, Nepal, Bangladesh.