by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Furthermore, the response is as strong as ever; in 2005 at the Elite Training Camp, conducted by Sweden’s Emanuel Christiansson and Peter Karlsson, no less than 94 players competed.
Now in 2017, the numbers are just as impressive; a total of 102 players, 64 boys and 38 girls, will compete in the five day tournament which commences on Wednesday 16th August.
The fact that every year the tournament attracts high numbers underlines the belief that relatively small associations can organise international events; the key to success has been outstanding organisation coupled with equally outstanding hospitality.
Much credit must go to Melecio Rivera, the recently retired President of the El Salvador Table Tennis Federation after some 34 years in office and also recently retired from office as an ITTF Executive Vice President. There is no finer host.
Always, just as a little over a week ago a press conference was staged to ignite the Hang Seng 2017 Hong Kong Junior and Cadet Open, a similarly well-established tournament with a fine reputation; so on Friday 11th August at the National Sports Centre, known as INDES being an acronym of the Spanish Instituto Nacional de los Deportes, a press conference was staged.
Notably present for the occasion was Jorge Perez Quezada, the President of INDES; Vilma Flemengo, representing the National Olympic Committee, Victor Hugo Mata Tobar, the President of the El Salvador Table Tennis Federation and Daniel Erazo, the Secretary of the El Salvador Table Tennis Federation.
Proceedings were hosted by Carlos Esnard, the Technical Director with the support of Diego Orantes, one of the country’s foremost players.
“For us as at INDES, it is very important to always support this kind of event, such events help to project our country in a positive way at an international level.” Jorge Perez Quezada.
Meanwhile, Victor Hugo Mata thanked all who were supporting the tournament. He paid tribute to INDES, the National Olympic Committee, the San Salvador Institute for Sport and Recreation, Butterfly, Ecopura and Channel 10 television as well as the International Table Tennis Federation for having confidence in El Salvador.
The national associations competing are: Belize, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, United States and El Salvador.
In the junior events, El Salvador will be represented by Oliver Mendoza, Oscar Villalta, Jaime Galeano, Diego Orantes, Keren Bolaños, Gabriela Romero, Cecilia Orantes, Dinora Salazar; in the cadet age group category by Enzo Leiva, Mateo Martínez, Walter Acuña, Luis Cardona, Mónica Mendoza, Camila Villalta, Sara Romero and Kenny Orellana.
