Senior officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Lao Table Tennis Federation and table tennis players.     --Photo Lao Table Tennis Federation

Laos to host Asian junior table tennis championships

Laos is set to host the 26th Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships in Vientiane from September 1-6.
More than 200 players from 20 countries will compete in 11 events at the championships.
Junior players will compete in the U-15 category (boys’ and girls’ singles, boys’ and girls’ team events) and the U-19 category (boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles, mixed, boys’ and girls’ team, and girls’ team events).
Matches will take place at the ITECC Mall in Vientiane.
The Lao Table Tennis Federation held a press conference to report on preparations for the championships, which will be supervised by the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU).
The championship will raise Laos’ profile on the international sports stage and help to improve the skills of Lao Table Tennis Federation staff.
It will also be an excellent opportunity for Laos’ junior players to test their skills and gain more match experience.
The Federation is working to ensure the event runs smoothly and is arranging welcome ceremonies, transport, publicity, security, and other aspects of the championships. 
Lao players will take part in 10 events and, as Laos is the host country, are not required to compete in the qualifying round.
However, the Federation is struggling to find sufficient female players to compete in the U-19 category. 
The Lao players are training hard in anticipation of some tough matches and began practising in earnest two months ago. For the past two weeks they have been under the tutelage of a Vietnamese coach.
The ATTU and other organisations will provide cash prizes and equipment worth more than 2 billion kip for use in the championships.

By Times Reporters
(Latest Update August 18, 2022)