Table Tennis is an integral part of the Paralympic Games since 1960. In anticipation of gold and glory, para paddlers aspire to showcase their skills and character in the biggest para sporting extravaganza. The Paralympic World Qualification tournament is a key event that para paddlers look forward to. It decides their candidacy for the Paralympic medal, and allows them to achieve the dream they have pursued.
The governing body, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has shared the schedule and other nitty-gritty of the Paralympic World Qualification tournament. The event is scheduled between 3 and 5 June 2021 at Lasko, Slovenia. ITTF would organize the qualification event in collaboration with the Slovenia Table Tennis Association and NPC Slovenia.
| Date | Venue |
| 03 to 5 June 2021 | Sports Hall Trililije, Poženelova ulica 22, 3270 Laško, Slovenia |
The Paralympic World Qualification tournament is a qualifying event. Performances here would earn paddlers direct entry into the 2020 Summer Paralympics. Ranking points aren’t involved. Total 74 men and 106 women para paddlers will feature in 31 TT events in Paralympics 2020. The factor is calculated upon factoring in the applicable credit system in the event.
Both, male and female paddlers would be competing across all classes. Note that, class 1 and class 2 are unified in the female category, no matter how many athletes participate. The rest of the classes would only be combined if there’re a minimum of four athletes participating. The remaining paddlers in the higher and lower classes would be unified if less than four paddlers participate in an event. The unification would be implemented in class 1 to 5 and Class 6 to 10. An event can be cancelled if any group fails to meet the minimum four paddler requirement.
| Men’s singles | Women’s singles |
| Class 01 | Class 1-2 |
| Class 02 | Class 03 |
| Class 03 | Class 04 |
| Class 04 | Class 05 |
| Class 05 | Class 06 |
| Class 06 | Class 07 |
| Class 07 | Class 08 |
| Class 08 | Class 09 |
| Class 09 | Class 10 |
| Class 10 | Class 11 |
| Class 11 |
The entries need to be endorsed by NPC, or else they’ll be rejected. The first entry is by number and the second, by name. The deadline for the entire entry process is as follows.
| Activity | Deadline |
| First entry | 26 April 2021 |
| Second entry | 10 May 2021 |
| Payment | 13 May 2021 |
| Travel details | 20 May 2021 |
All top paddlers would converge on Laško, Slovenia to compete and qualify. However, some stand out for their abilities and charisma. Here’re a few players to watch out for in the event.
Hamato is a widely recognized para paddler, thanks to his skills and a viral YouTube video. The Egyptian is a Class 5 titleholder and runners up of the African Para table tennis Championships, 2011 and 2013. After losing his both arms at the tender age of 10 in an accident, he pursued table tennis as a challenge initially. It didn’t take long for Hamato to develop a life-long passion for the sport. With the racket in his mouth, it would be a treat to see Ibrahim Hamato in action.
Natalia was born with a congenital disorder, missing right hand and forearm. She represents Poland in both, competitions for able-bodied paddlers, as well as paddlers with disabilities. Contesting in the Class 10 category events, she has helped herself to multiple gold medals, including disabled World Championships (1999), Athens Paralympics (2004), ITTF European Championships for Cadets (2004). Natalia became the youngest Paralympian ever when she participated in Sydney Summer Paralympics 2000 at the age of 11. The former number one (2018) made it to the last 32 at London Olympics in 2012. That’s quite an achievement.
| Tournament director | Tanja Cerkvenik
Phone: +386 1 5300 896 Email: sloveniaopen.tt@gmail.com |
| Competition Manager | Tomáš Varga
Phone +421 905 280 435 |
Watch this space to keep track of the matches and winners.
