Karachi players hope to revive table tennis

Organising local events themselves due to POA, PSB dispute.

KARACHI:

Due to a dispute between two parallel table tennis federations, national players in Karachi are putting in efforts themselves to revive the sport through smaller community-based events.

Farrukh Kamal, a national player who has played in ranking championships for the past eight years, said that more than 40 players have decided to hold local events using facilities at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Coaching centre.

Kamal and table tennis enthusiasts have so far organised at least two events including the inaugural Ramazan Karachi League that featured 32 players. They also held an Independence Day tournament which included 40 participants.

He said that both the tournaments had offered prize-money which proved to be a motivating factor for players.

“As players, we are taking the initiative on our own now, and contrary to the general notion, table tennis is still a popular game in Karachi,” Kamal told The Express Tribune. “People make an effort to come and watch the matches.

“I’m a player myself, but now I’m forced to organise events because like me, others also want to play. We have good facilities at the PSB Coaching Centre that were not even being used properly. In both of our endeavors last month, at least 50 people registered for the events. We are open to entries from everyone.”

Kamal further emphasised that players were organising smaller events instead of waiting for national championships.

“There are two Pakistan table tennis federations now — one is backed by the Arif Hasan-led Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and the other is supported by the PSB. We are puzzled as players because both camps hold events at their own convenience and this has divided the players as well. We just want to play without having politics destroy our game.”

Karachi-based players will be organising the Karachi Championship next month and have two other sponsored events scheduled for October and December.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2013.

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