TTA Tour - New National Event Series Launched

Sydney Olympic Park Hosts Top Event Again

21 years after 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Sydney Olympic Park will host the highest level table tennis event in Australia again.

On 25 Feb 2021, the Table Tennis Australia (TTA) announced the launch of a new national event series, the TTA Tour - Sydney at Sydney Olympic Park on 29-30 May 2021.

The TTA Tour will provide Australians the highest level of competition opportunities for both  National Squad and non-National Squad athletes, with the event being professionally presented and managed by TTA.

It is expected that Australian Tokyo Olympic Team members Michelle Bromley, Stephanie Sang, Chris Yan and David Powell will have an excellent opportunity for top level competition at Sydney Olympic Park before they go to the Tokyo Olympic Games in July 2021.

TTA Tour - Sydney will offer singles events only for age groups at the National Championships with Strong prizemoney for Open events. All citizenship status is welcome.

TTA CEO Scott Houston said: “We know there is a big appetite from the players to compete in national level events. The TTA Tour is a vehicle that not only provides more opportunities for all, but also showcases our premier athletes in a new and fresh competition environment.

TTA National Head Coach (Able-Bodied) John Murphy commented: “We have built up our high performance environment over the past couple of years with more training now being offered around the country than ever before. However, the reality is if our players are to reach their potential and if we are to drive up the overall standard of Australian table tennis, we need everyone competing more often and at a higher level.

John continued: “On top of that, it is probable that international travel and competitions will remain difficult for the foreseeable future, meaning that fewer chances will be available for our players in that space. The TTA Tour will be crucial in ensuring sufficient high level competition opportunities are provided. Importantly, the format and structure of the TTA Tour aligns with international trends, especially the new World Table Tennis initiatives being rolled out.

John also said: “I’m also looking forward to seeing the large pool of next tier athletes show their skills on a national level. There are a lot of players working very hard currently and the more rivalry we have for places in the National Squad, the better it is for everyone”.

President of TTNSW, Tony Aduckiewicz said “TTNSW welcomed the agreement between TTA and TTNSW for TTA Tour - Sydney at Sydney Olympic Park. TTNSW is excited to support TTA to organize the highest level table tennis event in Australia at Sydney Olympic Park after two decades since 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.”

Tony said “Spread the word, we want to see the best of the best in action. If we can play and compete with Olympic Games players in Sydney Olympic Park, why would we pay for air tickets to Tokyo?”

For further information please see:

https://www.tabletennis.org.au/news/tta-tour-new-national-event-series-launched-/