PH to host int’l junior table tennis tournament

Top junior table tennis players in the ASEAN region are coming to the Philippines on June for the Southeast Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships. (Pixabay photo)

MANILA — Top junior table tennis players in the ASEAN region are coming to the Philippines on June for the Southeast Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships.

Philippine Table Tennis Federation, Inc. (PTTF) president Ting Ledesma said the tournament would be held in Palawan’s capital city of Puerto Princesa.

“We are holding the Philippine Super League in May to select the athletes who will compete in the SEA tournament,” said Ledesma in an interview on Tuesday.

Ledesma said that the PTTF would first stage the Best of the Best tournament from January 26-28 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“The Best of the Best tournament features boys’ and girls’ 18-under and 15-under categories as well as the Open category where our national players are also competing,” said Ledesma.

“The winners in the 18-under and 15-under categories will be given automatic slots in the Philippine Super League,” he added.

Ledesma said the national junior team would have eight boys and eight girls (18-under) and six boys and six girls (15-under).

Last year, the Philippines won a bronze medal courtesy of Jann Mari Neyra and Jannah Romero in the mixed doubles event when Singapore hosted the SEA Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships.

Neyra competed in the Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia and the Lieherr World Championships in Germany last year. Romero, on the other hand, won the individual and team gold medals in the secondary division of the 2017 Palarong Pambansa in Antique.

Meanwhile, Ledesma said registration for the Best of the Best tournament was still ongoing. Players may contact Ella Bayno ‎(0926-061-7937) or visit PTTF Inc. on Facebook.