June 10, 2009
ITTF World Hopes Team Ready to Fly in Chengdu
 Inaugural training session for the ITTF World Hopes Team in Chengdu. Photo By: Pidl Zita |
Courtesy of ITTF At least it should be, especially if you are 12 years old, identified by the International Table Tennis Federation and selected for the very first meeting of the ITTF World Hopes Team – powered by Butterfly. Twelve young players, from near and far, checked in at the Chengdu International Training Center in China on Sunday June 7th and lined up for the first of several scheduled practice sessions on Monday June 8, 2009. |
The ITTF World Hopes Team - a global development project full of promise is finally underway!
First Report
An initial report from Chengdu speaks more than well of both accommodation and training opportunities offered by the Chinese hosts.
“Things are going great; this morning we had the opening ceremony followed by our first training session", said Zita Pidl, the ITTF World Hopes Team Manager on duty. "At least three Chinese coaches were working with multi-ball practice and giving technical advice to all our players; the Center is very modern and I am impressed by the fine standard of accommodation provided here in Chengdu.“
Tough but Inspiring
For the players a tough but surely an inspiring ten days of training lies ahead, prior to the start of the Chinese Junior Open on Thursday June 17th.
“We have agreed on a daily schedule that will give the players two afternoons off practice; the free time will be used for team activities and to take a look at the city of Chengdu", continued Zita Pidl. "To get into a training rhythm is now the most important, so far everything looks really good although the technical standard of the players we selected varies quite a lot.“
Coach
Coaching for the ITTF in Chengdu is the internationally well travelled Dejan Papic from Montreal.
Coaching by Mr Chen in progress in Chengdu
Photo By: Pidl Zita
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