by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Directed by Pablo Ribeiro FTMERJ President and Vitor Oliveira, the Marketing Manager, local people had the chance to play against the Brazilian legend and match his skills; return five Hugo Hoyama services consistently and win a car, return four and become the proud owner of a smart television.

The challengers lived in hope but no-one was seen driving a car down the Copacabana with a high definition television set attached to the roof rack!

“Our aim is to popularize the sport to attract new talents. The mall was chosen as it is in a neighbourhood with has several good players; we see great potential for the discovery of new athletes. It is fundamental to have interaction with the public so that they know the sport “, Pablo Ribeiro

An entertaining initiative, the weekend was part of a greater initiative which had witnessed free coaching sessions being held from 2.00pm to 8.00pm each day from Wednesday 22nd to Friday 31st March.

“Last year, we decided hold a tournament; we received a lot of praise on the social media channels, so we decided to repeat the event with Hugo, an exemplary athlete who, at age 47 years old, he still impresses”, Vitor Oliveira

Also on Saturday 1st April, to add to the occasion, a tournament was staged involving Para players and those in the Brazilian cadet age group teams.