Nominees announced for 2016 ITTF Star Awards

by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

“On behalf of QTTA, I am excited to be hosting the celebrations for the world’s best table tennis players in Doha, Qatar. QTTA has very elaborate plans for the 2016 ITTF Star Awards and everyone in attendance and fans around the world watching on TV will surely enjoy the show we have planned to honour the most important people in our sport, the athlete’s and their achievements in 2016”. Khalil Al-Mohannadi, ITTF Deputy President and President of the Qatar Table Tennis Association

A whole spectrum of awards forms the itinerary with the nominations for the blue ribbon awards of Male Star and Female Star of the year being made by the ITTF Athletes Commission.

Nominees for Male Table Tennis Star presented by Double Happiness

Quadri Aruna (Nigeria): First ever African to reach an Olympic Games Men’s Singles quarter-final; at no.25 on the Men’s World Rankings, the highest ever listed African

Fan Zhendong (China): Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup champion, winner at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships; two 2016 ITTF World Tour Super Series Men’s Singles titles

Ma Long (China): Rio 2016 Olympic Games Men’s Singles and Men’s Team gold medalist, winner at the Perfect World Team Championships, two 2016 ITTF World Tour Super Series titles

Jun Mizutani (Japan): Rio 2016 Olympic Games Men’s Singles bronze medalist and Men’s Team silver medalist, runner up at Perfect 2016 World Team Championships, three 2016 ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles titles

Nominations for Male Star of the Year

“It’s an honour to be nominated again this year; I am happy that table tennis has gained a lot of attention and popularity after the Olympic Games. I hope that this phenomenon will continue for our sport.” Ma Long

Nominations for Female Star of the Year presented by Nittaku

Ding Ning (China): Rio 2016 Olympic Games Women’s Singles and Women’s Team gold medalist, winner at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships, two 2016 ITTF World Tour Super Series titles

Miu Hirano (Japan): 2016 Women’s World Cup Champion, Women’s Singles winner at 2016 ITTF World Tour Polish Open

Mima Ito (Japan): Rio 2016 Olympic Games Team bronze medalist, the youngest ever table tennis Olympic medalist, silver medalist at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships

Kim Song-I (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea): Rio 2016 Olympic Games Women’s Singles bronze medalist, semi-finalist at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships, Women’s Singles winner at 2016 ITTF World Tour Pyongyang Open

Nominations for Female Star of the Year

Nominations for Female Star Point of the Year presented by Seamaster

Exciting players and thus exciting play ensued with five nominations having been made for Star Point of the Year.

In the Star Point of the Year presented by Seamaster, the names of Ding Ning, Fan Zhendong and Jun Mizutani all appear as do those Japan’s Hina Hayata, Frenchman Simon Gauzy and Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia, their respective adversaries.

Likewise, the duel between England’s Sam Walker and Japan’s Yuya Oshima at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships is on the list as is that between Korea’s Yang Haeun and China’s Hu Limei on the ITTF World Tour.