On the 10th of September the ITTF Group CEO, Mr. Steve Dainton, the ITTF Secretary General Mr. Raul Calin, the ITTF CFO, Mr. Michael Brown and the ITTF Competitions Director Mr. Gabor Felegyi together with the USATT representatives: the Chairman of the board Mr. Richard Char, their CEO Ms. Virginia Sung and their representative to the ITTF Task force for Ping Pong Diplomacy Ms. Sheri Ciorosolan all visited Houston for final preparatory meetings.
In Houston, under the leadership of Ms. Janis Burke and her professional team, the group held a series of successful meetings and walk throughs of the venue all with the aim to discuss all the final details of the Championships and ensure its success. The inspection coincided with the opening of ticket pre-sales to USATT members and the ITTF Family, which saw all VIP Packages sold out within the first hour. The General Sale of tickets commenced on 13 September.
ITTF Group CEO, Mr. Steve Dainton, stated: “Ever since Houston and the USA was announced as the host of the 2021 ITTF WTTC Finals in 2019, we have been excited for this event. The first ever World Table Tennis Championships to be held in the United States and the first World Table Tennis Championships to be held outside of Asia and Europe since 1939. COVID-19 has meant we have needed to scale back a little bit but after the few days spent here with the professional team working on this event, we are sure it will be a huge success, all with some Texas and American flavour that the participants will thoroughly enjoy. The venue and the hotels are also connected so we can ensure everyone’s safety in a more controlled way.”
“We are honored to be the first city in the Americas to host the WTTC”, said Harris County – Houston Sports Authority CEO, Janis Burke. “Houston has become known for producing world-class sporting events and we are confident that our partnerships with the city of Houston, the ITTF, and USATT will allow us to showcase the best table tennis players from around the world at the highest level. Our collaborative planning efforts have given us the opportunity to focus on the true meaning and spirit of the World Championship event and enhance the fan experience as the WTTC makes its debut and celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy in the US.”
“I can’t think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving week than to take a trip to Houston to see the Table Tennis World Championships, which are being held in the U.S. for the first time in its history. Table tennis is becoming tremendously popular here, and the Worlds promise to bring all the excitement the sport has to offer.” Virginia Sung, USATT CEO
