01 Sep 2020

This week’s edition of Player Watch very much has a feel-good factor about it with wonderful news throughout, from charity fundraising accomplishments to a special wedding in the table tennis community and more.

Here’s the latest from the stars of the show:

by Simon Daish

Will Bayley achieves fundraiser feat

A hero both on and off the table, Great British Paralympic Games star Will Bayley has pulled off an impressive fundraising feat raising £25,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) through his rainbow face mask initiative!

The campaign proved an overwhelming success and even received celebrity endorsement. You can read the full story here.

Will Bayley’s rainbow face mask campaign proves a major success
ITTF meets Ibrahim Hamadtou

Rising to worldwide stardom for his incredible story, Egypt’s Ibrahim Hamadtou has captivated table tennis fans over the years with his unique playing style.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the ITTF, Hamadtou discusses his introduction to the sport, his international fame and his hopes for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games next year. Read the fascinating interview here.

Meet Egypt’s Mr. Impossible: Ibrahim Hamadtou (Photo: Richard Kalocsai)
Piano skills and international dog day

Regular readers of Player Watch will be fully aware of the rigorous preparation players are undergoing for the upcoming club season in Europe, but what else have the stars been doing away from the training hall?

Here’s a selection of some of our favourite posts from the past week:

 

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How about Venice !? 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨🛶🎭 #summervibes #summerbreak #venice #love

A post shared by Iba Diaw (@iba94) on

 

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(Close to home but almost in France 🙆)

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Wild blueberries💙 #tabletennis #sweden #letsmakeithappen #luxembourg

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A week of celebration

Finally, it’s time to pass on our congratulations with four players in particular feeling in a celebratory mood over the past week.

The first piece of news to celebrate is Sharath Kamal Achanta’s ‘OLY’ post nominal title, recognising his sporting achievements:

Singapore icon Feng Tianwei turned 34 on Monday 31st August:

 

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感恩所有❤️❤️❤️

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Brian Afanador and partner Noralis both shared the wonderful news that they are expecting their first child together:

And another very special congratulations to Sofia Polcanova and her long-term partner Peter, who have officially tied the knot. Congratulations Sofia!

Fellow Austrian teammate Karoline Mischek played her role in the ceremony as one of Sofia’s bridesmaids:

General News Feng Tianwei Sharath Kamal Achanta Sofia Polcanova Brian Afanador Will Bayley Galia Dvorak Lubomir Pistej Ni Xialian Ibrahima Diaw Sanil Shetty Yadira Silva Ibrahim HAMADTOU Karoline Mischek