The Asian Para Table Tennis Championships is set to kick off July 23 at Providence University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City, marking the nation’s first time hosting the biennial contest.
Organized by Taiwan’s Paralympic committee, the five-day tournament will see some 300 athletes from 20 countries and territories, including more than 30 Paralympians, battle it out in singles and team classifications.
The competition is a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. According to the organizer, the 24 members of Team Taiwan have been undertaking intensive training over the past three weeks with a view to booking their place at next year’s games in Japan.
This event continues Taiwan’s strong tradition in hosting para table tennis competitions, with Taichung staging four TT Opens for the Disabled between 2011 and 2017, according to Switzerland-headquartered International Table Tennis Federation.
Taiwan is also slated to hold the 2019 World Deaf Badminton Championships and World Youth Deaf Badminton Championships July 12-22 in Taipei City, and the World Deaf Bowling Championships Aug. 1-12 in the northern metropolis of Taoyuan. (SFC-E)
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