Table Tennis: Players gear up for World Team Championship

Table tennis federation rues lack of funds.

KARACHI: Disappointed after being forced to pull out from the Asian Championship in Macau last month, the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) has urged its players to regroup ahead of the World Team Championship in Germany.

Pakistan did not take part in the Asian Championship due to a lack of funds with the PTTF cancelling their participation a day before the event. This time, however, the PTTF President Riaz Ahmed said that players were asked to pay for the airfare for the tournament in Germany that takes place next month.

“We can’t compromise on our rankings every time just because we don’t have funds,” Ahmed told The Express Tribune. “However, I’m disappointed with the Pakistan Sports Board’s attitude. They promised us funds for the Asian Championship but backed out.”

He said that the federation will make sure that Pakistan’s participation in the Germany event goes smoothly.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2012.