05/18/2012
2012 Slovak Junior Open - ITTF Junior Circuit (Click here to access this section)
Top seeds, Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Li Ching Wan in partnership with Serbia’s Anna Fenyvesi, won the Girls’ Team title at the Slovak Junior Open in Senec on Friday 18th May 2012 and in so doing justified their exalted place at the top of the draw.

Furthermore, they secured the title without ever being stretched the full five match distance; the final against Croatia, the second seeds, being their most impressive performance of all. A three matches to nil win was posted.

Star of the show was undoubtedly 15 year old Doo Hoi Kem; she remained unbeaten throughout the whole event.

 05/18/2012
2012 ITTF EURO AFRICA CIRCUIT, Belarus Open (Click here to access this section)
No World ranking and no previous international success of note, Russia’s 20 year old Arseniy Gusev caused the biggest upset, not only of the second day’s play, Friday 18th May 2012, at the ITTF Euro-Africa Circuit Belarus Open but of the whole tournament.

He ousted the top seed, the host nation’s Pavel Platonov in four straight games in the opening round of the Men’s Singles event (11-6, 11-8, 11-9, 11-6).

The Russian, who also progressed to the quarter-finals of the Under 21 Men’s Singles event by beating Israel’s Michael Tauber (11-6, 4-11, 11-4, 18-16).

 05/18/2012
GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour, KRA Korea Open (Click here to access this section)
Leading the host nation’s hopes at the GAC GROUP 2012 ITTF World Tour KRA Korean Open in Incheon, Joo Saehyuk, the no.7 seed, withdrew from the Men’s Singles event on Friday 18th May as a result of a leg injury.

The withdrawal paved the way for Sweden’s 46 year old evergreen Jörgen Persson to book his place in round two without having to raise his racket in anger.

A blow for Korea and certainly it raises the question as to whether Joo Saehyuk will be fit enough to compete in the forthcoming London 2012 Olympic Games.

 05/16/2012
Education & Training (Click here to access this section)
One of the premier training centres in the ITTF Hot Spot Network, the Werner Schlager Academy, situated in Shwechat on the outskirts of Vienna has been dealt a good hand for the month of May.

Checking in for training at various times will be several young aces, “2012 ITTF With The Future in Mind” scholarship holders; some already preparing for London 2012 and some with the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games on their mind.

Arriving on Monday 14th May was a most impressive female talent.

Kim Song I, 17 years old, arrived from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

 05/16/2012
Development (Click here to access this section)
At the crossroads of west Asia and eastern Europe, Georgia hosted an ITTF/PTT Level One Coach Education Course and Training Camp from Sunday 29th April to Tuesday 8th May 2012.

The home for the course was Tblisi, the country’s capital city with Aleksey Yefremov of Belarus being the expert on duty.

Supported by both the European Table Tennis Union and the International Table Tennis Federation, a total of 30 students of whom eight were women, attended the Coach Education course.

Seven cities in total - Tbilisi, Batumi, Lanchkhuti, Mingrelia, Hulo, Rustavi, Abasha – were represented.

 05/16/2012
World News (Click here to access this section)
An unbeaten performance by Slovenia’s Bojan Tokic but it was not sufficient to prevent Europe from slipping to a seven matches to three defeat in the first leg of this year’s Asia versus Europe series of matches.

Staged in Tianjin, China on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the outfit formed by Gao Ning (Singapore), Hao Shuai (China), Jun Mizutani (Japan), Chuang Chih-Yuan (Chinese Taipei) and Leung Chu Yan (Hong Kong) who emerged successful.

Alas for the Europe Alexey Smirnov (Russia), Vladimir Samsonov (Belarus), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany) and Adrian Crisan (Romania) could not match the achievements of the Bojan Tokic.

 05/14/2012
2012 Olympic Games (Click here to access this section)
Following the conclusion of the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha on Sunday 13th May, the provisional lists for the Men’s and Women’s Team events at the forthcoming London 2012 Olympic Games are known.

The lists are provisional and will not be finalised until all teams have been confirmed by their National Olympic Committees; the deadline for confirmations is Monday 28th May 2012.

There is a maximum of 16 Men’s Teams and 16 Women’s Teams with the first step being that one team from each continent – Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Oceania – and one team from Great Britain, the host nation, qualifies for each event.

 05/13/2012
2012 Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament (Click here to access this section)
Surprises abounded over the four days of play at the Final World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Doha but when matters concluded on Sunday 13th May 2012, it was the top seeds who emerged as champions.

Portugal’s Tiago Apolonia won the Men’s Singles title, securing victory in the battle of the Iberian Peninsula by beating Spain’s Carlos Machado in the final.

Meanwhile, in the counterpart Women’s Singles gold medal contest, it was success for Sweden’s Matilda Ekholm; she overcame the Czech Republic’s Dana Hadacova.

 05/13/2012
2012 Spanish Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Junior Circuit (Click here to access this section)
No previous history of success on the international scene; however that has now changed.

On her very first appearance on the ITTF Junior Circuit, Japan’s 16 year old Shiho Matsudaira stunned everyone. She won the Junior Girls’ Singles title at the Spanish Junior and Cadet Open in Castell-Platja d’Aro on Sunday 13th July 2012.

Overshadowed by her elder brothers Kenji and Kenta, who are seasoned performers both home and broad with a whole host of titles to their credit, Shiho proved she a player of quality. In Spain she became a star in her own right, not hust little sister.

 05/13/2012
Umpires and Referees (Click here to access this section)
Five days in Sudan concluded for Egypt’s Mohammed Bassyoni on Saturday 12th May 2012, a Closing Ceremony in Khartoum, with traditional music featured ended proceedings.

It proved a quite memorable occasion with local dignitaries present, including members of the Sudan National Olympic Committee. Certificates awarded to the course members.

Organised under the auspices of the ITTF Development Programme, the course administered by Mohammed Bassyoni had comprised three elements.

A Basic Umpires Course coomenced matters,followed by a National Umpires Course and a Basic Referees Course.