Kanpur: As many as 3,100 paddlers from across the country, ranging from Under-11 players to senior men and women, will compete in the first UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championship of the new season at the The Sports Hub from Aug 16 to 23.Organised by the UP Table Tennis Association (UPTTA), the eight-day event will be the first national ranking championship of the season, with the second scheduled to be held immediately afterwards in Gujarat.UPTTA chairman and organising secretary Sanjeev Pathak said the championship would feature 12 categories, including Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17 and Under-19 events for boys and girls, besides senior men’s and women’s competitions.A total prize purse of Rs 10 lakh will be distributed among winners and runners-up across all categories.UPTTA secretary Arun Kumar Banerjee said this would be the first time a national ranking championship in Kanpur would witness participation from such a large number of paddlers. Of the total participants, 197 are from Uttar Pradesh, including 28 from Kanpur.Matches will be played on 28 international-standard Stag Roma tables and a specially constructed show court. Around 80 officials from different parts of the country will oversee the competition.Banerjee said match results would be uploaded on the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) website within 15 minutes of the completion of each match.Tournament manager K.N. Ganeshan said Under-11, Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 events would be held from Aug 16 to 19, while Under-19 and senior men’s and women’s competitions would take place from Aug 20 to 23.The draws for all categories will be streamed live on YouTube on Aug 15 to ensure transparency, Ganeshan said.The championship will be inaugurated at 4 pm on Aug 16 by chief guest Asim Arun, along with Arun Pathak and MP Ramesh Awasthi. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries are also expected to visit the venue during the championship.
