KUALA LUMPUR: National coaches will looking to unearth new talents in the 51st Malaysian Table Tennis Championships to replace some of their aging stars.
The Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) said yesterday that they have received an overwhelming response from their affiliates for the national meet, to be held at the OCM Hall from Oct 23-26 – with 15 teams in the men’s competition and 12 in women’s team event.
The huge response is also due to the national women team’s solid performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in August. The team – comprising Beh Lee Wei, Ng Sock Khim, Ho Ying and Lee Rou You – defied the odds to win a silver medal.
Lee Wei and Sock Khim are seasoned campaigners while the top player in the national men’s team, Mohd Ibrahim Sakirin, has also served the nation for a long time.
Next month’s premier national meet will provide a good platform for youngsters to impress the selectors.
In the draw conducted yesterday, men’s defending champions Armed Forces are in Group MA with Malacca and Perlis while women’s title-holders Selangor are in Group WA with Kuala Lumpur and Terengganu.
In the individual competitions, Chan Koon Wah (Armed Forces) and Ting Hie Phin (Selangor) are the men’s and women’s defending champions respectively.
THE DRAW
Men
Group A: Armed Forces, Malacca, Perlis
Group B: Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Sarawak, Terengganu
Group C: Kedah, Sabah, Johor, Selangor
Group D: Penang, Perak, Pahang, Negri Sembilan
Women
Group A: Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu
Group B: Sabah, Sarawak, Perak
Group C: Kedah, Johor, Pahang
Group D: Penang, Putrajaya, Malacca
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