ASPIRE, Doha’s Academy for Sports Excellence, will host seventy of the world’s top young table tennis players this week when they compete in the 3rd Doha Junior Open Table Tennis Championships.
The tournament, which is part of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Junior Circuit and takes place from 6 to 10 February, will see the potential stars of the future competing in the magnificent ASPIRE Sports Dome.
The 70 players, from 15 countries from around the world, will compete in either the under-18 or the under-15 categories of the Doha Junior Open Table Tennis Championships.
Among the international competitors will be a team from ASPIRE, which has been heavily involved in discovering and developing young table tennis talent in Qatar.
Dr Andreas Bleicher, Sports Director at ASPIRE, said: “In a short period of time ASPIRE has established itself as one of the world’s top sporting venues with athletes and sports associations eager to experience the state-of-the-art facilities at the academy.
“ASPIRE is also working hard to provide the right environment for talented young table tennis players to fully develop their potential – and events like this provide the ideal exposure to international competition.”
Zlatko Cordas, technical adviser, Qatar Table Tennis Association commented: “Despite this being the third Doha Junior Open, the tournament has grown each year and continues to raise the profile of the sport in the region. ASPIRE plays an essential role, providing both the host venue and a very able group of Qatari competitors.”
The championships offer a total prize fund of US$11,000, with the winners of the boys’ and girls’ singles events each receiving a cheque for US$1,250.
Dr Andreas Bleicher concludes: “Everyone at ASPIRE is excited about hosting these talented young athletes who are in pursuit of sporting excellence. We wish each of the players the best of luck in the championships.”
Photo caption: ASPIRE students that are participating in the competition
About ASPIRE
ASPIRE, the Academy for Sports Excellence, Doha, was created with the dual aims of identifying and transforming promising student athletes into world renowned champions across a wide range of sports and to act as a beacon to draw sporting culture into the centre of life in Qatar and the surrounding region.
The Academy is distinguished by a philosophy which aims to develop the whole student, providing them with full academic, social and sporting development.
Unrivalled facilities mark the Academy out as one of the world’s foremost sporting and educational institutions, and entice an ever increasing number of visitors from across the spectrum of world sports to use or simply view them.
With one indoor and seven outdoor football pitches, athletics tracks, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, diving pool, combat arenas, gymnastics arena, specially designed weight rooms, lecture halls, dormitories to accommodate what will eventually become 1,000 students, a medical centre and more besides, much beneath the world’s largest purpose built indoor sports dome, every aspect of the development of elite athletes is catered for. ASPIRE is a place for those who dare to dream.
ASPIRE TODAY, INSPIRE TOMORROW
