by Simon Daish
Omar Assar heads to France
Some transfer news for you with French club GV Hennebont completing the signing of Omar Assar from German Bundesliga side Borussia Düsseldorf for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons.
Thus, the Egyptian star brings his three-year stay in Germany to a close having represented Werder Bremen prior to his stint in Düsseldorf. Assar joins Anders Lind in making the move to GV Hennebont; the Dane arriving from TTC Zugbrücke Grenzau – Belgian player Cédric Nuytinck and England’s Sam Walker make up the remainder of the team composition for the upcoming campaign.
Sharath Kamal Achanta extends Borussia Düsseldorf stay
Omar Assar may be departing from the Borussia Düsseldorf line-up, Indian table tennis icon Sharath Kamal Achanta has furthered his commitment to the club for another year, extending his contract until 30th June 2021.
A long-standing member of the German club team, Achanta initially joined the Düsseldorf ranks in May 2013 and has gone on to enjoy five title-winning campaigns. Victorious in 73 of his 115 matches for the club, Achanta is delighted to extend his stay in Germany:
“I am really happy to be back home again at Borussia, and to be able to spend more time with Danny, Timo and the other players, and to be able to compete on their side. Right now, the whole world is going through a tough time, but we are standing and fighting together to get over the crisis, like Borussia always does.” Sharath Kamal Achanta
Players United: #StayAtHome
Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the act of social distancing has been pushed as a key defence with experts advising those who can to stay at home as much as possible. Celebrities and athletes alike have taken to social media in recent weeks to spread the message across the world and some familiar names from the table tennis scene have also chimed in.
Ukraine star Margaryta Pesotska is keeping herself busy during quarantine, sharpening up her skills from the comfort of her own home:
Timo Boll is taking things a step further, promoting inter-family competition in the garden!:
Happy World Table Tennis Day
Monday 6th April marked 2020 World Table Tennis Day, an annual occasion of celebration for all things table tennis. COVID-19 may have prevented physical activities from happening this year but socially united, fans were fully engaged across the digital and social media channels of the ITTF and ITTF Foundation for 2020 World Table Tennis At Home Day!
A number of the sport’s biggest stars also enjoyed the celebrations, including India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran who took part in the #myTTshot challenge:
Austrian star Sofia Polcanova wowed us as she demonstrated her incredible balancing act:
Romania’s Bernadette Szocs shared some of her favourite memories:
Farewell Matilda
The leading name in Sweden’s women’s team setup in recent years, Matilda Ekholm has announced her retirement from international table tennis.
Revealing the news in an interview with the ITTF, the 37-year-old won seven singles titles at the Swedish National Championships during her career as well as four European Championships medals. Ekholm also represented her country at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and on home soil two years later at the 2018 World Team Championships in Halmstad.
Farewell Matilda and thank you for the memories.