I Dig Sports
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is deeply saddened by the news that Qatari table tennis player, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar, passed away on Monday 15th April 2019 after 10 days in intensive care following a car accident in Doha.
The Qatar U21 player, who represented Al Sadd Club, became the highest ranked player in his country and had an extremely bright future ahead of him.
A very polite and well-mannered man according to his peers and colleagues at the Qatar Table Tennis Association, Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar was in his second year of a Sport Management degree at Qatar University.
This was a young man looking to build a successful career in sport and someone very well respected by everyone who came into contact with him, both as a player and as a person.
He was registered to play at the upcoming Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest between 21-28 April.
Shocked and saddened by his tragic passing, the whole ITTF family will honour his memory in Budapest and beyond.
The ITTF sends its deepest condolences to the family of Abd Al-Rahman Al-Najjar, to the whole Qatar Table Tennis Association and to Khalil Al-Mohannadi, President of the Qatar and Arab Table Tennis Federations and Deputy ITTF President.
This information gives key tips for those considering purchasing Olympic tickets.
The action-packed programme will feature a record 33 sports and 339 events and will run from 24 July until 9 August 2020.
Table Tennis will be played for the majority of the overall duration of Tokyo 2020, with matches played every day between 25 July and 7 August, except for a one-day break on 1 August.
All Table Tennis matches will be played at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium venue.
Here follows more detailed information on the key times and dates (please note that all times stated are JST):
The Men’s and Women’s Singles preliminary rounds, as well as the Mixed Doubles round of 16, get under way at 09:00 JST on 25 July 2020. The main draw of the Singles competitions kicks off on the same day at 14.15.
27 July marks the first opportunity to lift silverware, as the Mixed Doubles Bronze and Gold Medal Matches take place from 20:00, followed by the Victory Ceremony.
Bronze and Gold Medal Matches for the Women’s Singles will take place at 20:00 on 30 July, while the equivalent showpiece encounters in the Men’s Singles competition will be held at the same time on 31 July.
Leading up to that, the Women’s and Men’s Single semi-finals will take place at 11:00 and 15:00 respectively on 30 July.
After a one-day break from all Table Tennis action on 1 August, the Team competition – where players compete for national glory – gets under way at 10:00 on 2 August for the round of 16 matches, with quarter-finals starting on 3 August.
Semi-finals will run from 19:30 on 4 August (Women’s Team) until the same time on 5 August (Men’s Team), while all Team Medal Matches take place between 6-7 August.
6 August sees the Women’s Team Medal Matches at 11:00 (Bronze) and 19:30 (Gold), while the same times apply for the Men’s Team Medal Matches on 7 August.
China will be defending their Gold Medal for both Men’s and Women’s Team events, while Chinese duo Ma Long and Ding Ning are the current Olympic Champions in the Men’s and Women’s Singles competitions respectively.
Click here for the full event schedule.
Defying the odds to win Women’s Team gold at the 2017 European Championships, Romania has grown into a leading nation at continental level and the country’s representatives will prove tough to beat at the 2019 World Championships.
Europe’s highest ranked player in the Women’s World Rankings, Bernadette Szocs has injected a new sense of excitement into the European game over the past year or so following her outstanding gold medal finish at the 2018 Europe Top 16 Cup competition. Fast on her feet and possessing a warrior-like persona on the table, Szocs occupies the no.14 spot in the seeding list.
Seeded three positions lower is 2015 European singles champion and three-time Olympian Elizabeta Samara. Celebrating her 30th birthday on Monday 15th April, Samara has enjoyed many a great battle against some of the biggest names associated with the sport and will provide a stern test to whomever she draws in Budapest.
Three further Romanians will compete in the Women’s Singles draw: Daniela Monteiro Dodean, Irina Ciobanu and Adina Diaconu.
When you cast your eye back over the history of the World Championships there is one name that stands out above the rest for Romania and that is Angelica Rozeanu’s.
Crowned Women’s Singles champion the last time the World Championships were staged in Budapest in 1950, Angelica Rozeanu won the gold medal on six consecutive occasions and rightfully took her place in the ITTF Hall of Fame in 1995.
With the World Championships returning to the Hungarian capital for the first time in 69 years, will we see another Romanian rise to the challenge?
Watch Romania’s star players in action at the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships by purchasing your tickets below:
Tickets
Sunday 21 April marks the start of the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, when the sport’s biggest names battle it out for the most prestigious international titles of the calendar year.
Just days before the first matches get under way at 10.00 GMT+2 from the Hungexpo Budapest Fair Center, ITTF CEO Steve Dainton looks ahead to what is all set to be a true celebration of the sport.
What is it that excites you most about the upcoming World Championships?
“When you have all the best players from around the world competing against each other, you can be sure that there will be many epic matches in store. Given the sheer number of participants, there are always likely to be shock results too, and I can’t wait to watch as the drama unfolds.
“Of course, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are not too far away now either, and, as this is the biggest eventprior, it will also be interesting to see which players make a big impression in Budapest and prove themselves as top candidates for medalsnext year.
“What I can say with absolute certainty is that the local organising committee, the Hungarian Table Tennis Association, have put in a huge amount of effort with the full support of the country. Therefore, we are sure that this will be a truly unforgettable event.”
What can we expect to see from the series of key meetings held in Budapest around the World Championships?
“Arguably the biggest news to emerge from next week’s meetings will be confirmation of the successful bids to stage the 2021 and 2022 World Table Tennis Championships. It is fantastic that – with Morocco and United States as the candidates for 2021 – we shall be entering a new market to help make the sport more global than ever before. Meanwhile, in 2022 we have three more excellent bids – from China, Japan and Portugal – providing the greatest level of bidding competition that we have witnessed in recent history. This cannot be understated at all, as it represents an historical positive momentum shift in our sport, which proves that the recent changes are having a positive impact.”
Equipment colours and changing the visual outlook of our sport
“There is an eye-catching proposition being put forward by the Equipment Committee. The idea is that players will be able to use different coloured rubbers, and not merely black and red as the current rules stipulate. If approved, this will bring about a very significant change in the visual outlook of our sport. Can you imagine playing with bright green or even pink rubber?”
Technical rule changes
“There has been a number of technical rule changes put forward in the past and last year there was a proposal to change the regulations in relation toboosting – the act of players reinforcing the rubbers on their blades – which was subsequentlywithdrawn last year to give more time to study carefully the situation.
“This year, however, the Equipment Committee is planning to dismantle random rackets at future major events (eventsto be decided by the Executive Committee) to gather more information and ascertain how serious the situation is. The ITTF will then take matters from there. However, before Tokyo 2020, it is important for the ITTF to take the matter very seriously to ensure the integrity of the game.”
Revolutionising the World Championships
“Most importantly, in Budapest, I am looking forward to healthy, engaging discussions about the format and make-up of the expanded World Table Tennis Championships from 2021 onwards.
“Naturally, when you make significant changes of this kind, not everyone is in agreement, but we are convinced that this is in the best interests of table tennis. It is undoubtedly one of the biggest moments that our sport has seen, so it is very exciting to be working on this and it will be very interesting to see what strategic direction the Board of Directors takes in terms of format, system and make-up of the future World Championships.”
The Wadi Degla Club hosted the 2016 Mens World Championships
Wadi Degla Club to host $320,000 season finale
By SEAN REUTHE
The star-studded PSA World Tour Finals will be held in Egypt for the first time after an agreement was reached between the Professional Squash Association (PSA) and title sponsors CIB to bring the world’s leading squash players to the Wadi Degla Club in Cairo between June 8-13 for the 2018-19 edition of the season-ending tournament.
Featuring the world’s top eight male and female players, the CIB PSA World Tour Finals will act as the season finale to the 2018-19 PSA World Tour campaign. The event has been successfully staged in Dubai over the past three seasons at venues such as the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera and Emirates Golf Club.
The CIB PSA World Tour Finals will be the third major professional squash tournament to be held at the Wadi Degla Club after it hosted the 2016 PSA Men’s World Championships and the 2014 PSA Women’s World Championships.
“The PSA World Tour Finals always provides a fitting climax to the PSA World Tour season and we are excited to be staging this season’s tournament in Cairo,” said PSA Chairman and A. A. Turki Group of Companies (ATCO) Chairman Ziad Al-Turki.
“With a number of the sport’s highest-ranking players hailing from Egypt, squash already has significant presence and popularity in the country, and we hope to build on that by holding the World Tour Finals there.
“I would like to thank both the Wadi Degla Club and CIB for their support in staging this event, and I look forward to watching the action unfold in June.”
CIB Chief Executive and Board Member, Hussein Abaza, said: “We are delighted to sponsor the PSA World Tour Finals and remain committed to supporting world-class squash in Egypt. We have been involved in a number of major tournaments in the region already this season, while we will also serve as title sponsor for the PSA Women’s World Championships, which will bring the world’s best back to the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the most iconic venues in sporting history.
“Our sponsorship of the PSA World Tour Finals will see us build on a successful partnership with PSA, and I for one cannot wait to see some of the greatest athletes in world sport take to the court in Cairo in June.”
Wadi Degla Squash Director, Karim Darwish, said: “We are excited to be bringing the PSA World Tour finals to Egypt for the first time in the tournament’s history, and I believe that the Wadi Degla Club will provide the perfect venue for squash’s season finale.
“The Wadi Degla Club is no stranger to hosting the world’s biggest squash tournaments and I look forward to welcoming players to Cairo on June 8th for what promises to be a thrilling week. I would also like to thank CIB for their support and look forward to working with both them and PSA in the coming months.”
The six-day event will bring together the greatest squash talents on the PSA World Tour, with a total prize purse of $320,000 split equally between the men’s and women’s events thanks to the generosity of sponsors CIB, ATCO, and also the Wadi Degla Club.
Players will be split into two groups of four and will play round-robin best-of-three matches in the group stages, with the top two from each group progressing to the knockout semi-finals and beyond.
Nour El Sherbini and Mohamed ElShorbagy are the reigning PSA World Tour champions
To qualify for the CIB PSA World Tour Finals, players must finish in the top eight of the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard, with points on offer at all PSA World Tour events during the 2018-19 season.
Winning a PSA Platinum tournament also guarantees qualification for the World Tour Finals. World No.1 Ali Farag tops the men’s leaderboard and has already qualified after winning the PSA World Championships, J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions and the Qatar Classic this season. He sits ahead of compatriot Mohamed ElShorbagy, whose wins at the U.S. Open and Hong Kong Open have seen him also qualify.
Karim Abdel Gawad is the other player to have already earned his place in Cairo after triumphing in December’s Black Ball Open. The other players in the top eight of the men’s leaderboard are Egypt’s Tarek Momen, Germany’s Simon Rösner, New Zealand’s Paul Coll, Peru’s Diego Elias and Egypt’s Mohamed Abouelghar.
India’s Saurav Ghosal and Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez also remain in contention for a place in the top eight, with just four men’s PSA World Tour events left this season.
World No.1 Raneem El Welily heads up the women’s leaderboard and has qualified for Cairo courtesy of her title win in October’s U.S. Open. She is followed by World No.2 Nour El Sherbini, who won both the PSA World Championship and the Tournament of Champions.
New Zealand’s Joelle King is the other automatic qualifier after lifting her maiden Platinum title at the Hong Kong Open in November.
Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, France’s Camille Serme, England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, Wales’ Tesni Evans and Egypt’s Nouran Gohar make up the rest of the top eight.
English duo Alison Waters and Laura Massaro, and Unites States No.1 Amanda Sobhy sit just outside the top eight and face a race against time to earn a qualifying berth with three women’s PSA World Tour events left.
Two more Platinum tournaments remain this season, with the El Gouna International and Allam British Open still to come in April and May.
The men’s XII Torneo Internacional PSA Sporta, Bronze tournament, which is held in Guatemala between May 29 and June 2, will be the last ranking PSA World Tour event of the season.
Tickets for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals will go on sale soon.
The full CIB PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Reigning champion Miguel Rodriguez faces Hull of a battle to retain British Open title
Miguel Rodriguez in action against Mohamed ElShorbagy in last year’s British Open final
Mohamed ElShorbagy lies in wait, looking for revenge
By ELLIE MAWSON
Defending champion Miguel Rodriguez has been pitted on the same side of the draw as last year’s runner-up Mohamed ElShorbagy after the draws for the 2019 Allam British Open were released today (Tuesday April 16).
Taking place between May 20-26 at the University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, the British Open is squash’s longest-running tournament and Rodriguez will return to defend his crown 12 months after becoming the first South American ever to lift the prestigious title.
The 33-year-old from Bogota receives a bye into round two, where he will face either Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller or New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson. The World No.7 is seeded to play World No.2 ElShorbagy in the quarter-finals in a rematch of last year’s final.
ElShorbagy, a two-time British Open champion, also receives a bye in round one and could come up against crowd favourite and three-time runner-up James Willstrop in the last 32 if the Englishman can get the better of India’s Ramit Tandon.
Top seed Ali Farag will face either compatriot Mostafa Asal or Frenchman Gregoire Marche in round two and will have to navigate a tricky draw that could see him play the likes of World No.11 Marwan ElShorbagy, World No.8 Mohamed Abouelghar and World No.3 Tarek Momen en route to the final.
Elsewhere, Germany’s Raphael Kandra will look to follow up his giant-killing run to the semi-finals of last year’s tournament and he will take on Marwan ElShorbagy – who he beat en route – in round two.
England’s top male player Declan James gets a bye into the second round, where he will face former World No.3 Omar Mosaad in a battle of the giants. Both players are 6ft 4in tall.
Reigning champion Nour El Sherbini and top seed Raneem El Welily
The women’s draw is headed up by 2018 runner-up Raneem El Welily, who will face either 2008 runner-up Jenny Duncalf or World Junior Champion Rowan Elaraby in the second round.
World No.1 El Welily is seeded to play United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy in round three, World No.7 Nouran Gohar in the quarter-finals and World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in the semis.
Five-time winner Nicol David will appear at the final tournament of her distinguished career after announcing her decision to retire at the end of this season. The legendary Malaysian will take on compatriot Rachel Arnold in round one, and a win for the 35-year-old will see her lock horns with El Tayeb.
World No.2 Nour El Sherbini beat El Welily to win her second British Open title last May, and she will begin her tournament against either fellow Egyptian Mayar Hany or France’s Coline Aumard.
She is pitted on the same side of the draw as former champions Laura Massaro and Camille Serme and is seeded to face the latter in the semi-finals.
World No.6 Sarah-Jane Perry, the highest-ranked English player on the PSA Tour, will play either Hollie Naughton or a wildcard in the second round as she looks to do one better than her runner-up finish in Hull in 2017.
In addition to one of the sport’s most iconic titles, points for the season-ending PSA World Tour Finals will also be up for grabs as players battle for a top eight place on the PSA World Tour Finals Leaderboard, which will see them qualify for June’s showpiece event in Cairo.
Matches from the glass court will be shown live on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour (up to and including quarter-finals, excluding Europe and Japan). Semi-finals and finals will also be broadcast on mainstream channels around the world such as BT Sport, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.
British Open website: www.allambritishopen.com
Twitter: @BritOpenSquash
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster
2019 Allam British Open, University of Hull, Yorkshire, England.
Men’s Main Draw:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) [bye]
Mostafa Asal (EGY) v [17/32] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
[9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) [bye]
[9/16] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Diego Elias (PER) [bye]
Alan Clyne (SCO) v [17/32] Borja Golan (ESP)
[17/32] Adrian Waller (ENG) v George Parker (ENG)
[8] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) [bye]
[5] Paul Coll (NZL) [bye]
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [17/32] Mazen Hesham (EGY)
[17/32] Max Lee (HKG) v Todd Harrity (USA)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [17/32] Lucas Serme (FRA)
[17/32] Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) v [WC] Joshua Masters (ENG)
Fares Dessouky (EGY) v [17/32] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[9/16] Joel Makin (WAL) [bye]
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) [bye]
[4] Simon Rösner (GER) [bye]
Eain Yow Ng (MAS) v [17/32] Tom Richards (ENG)
[9/16] Omar Mosaad (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Declan James (ENG) [bye]
[17/32] Greg Lobban (SCO) v Ivan Yuen (MAS)
[9/16] Zahed Salem (EGY) [bye]
[9/16] Saurav Ghosal (IND) [bye]
[6] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) [bye]
[7] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) [bye]
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [17/32] Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[17/32] Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) v [17/32] Leo Au (HKG)
[17/32] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Ben Coleman (ENG)
[WC] Patrick Rooney (ENG) v [17/32] Youssef Soliman (EGY)
[17/32] James Willstrop (ENG) v Ramit Tandon (IND)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) [bye]
Women’s Main Draw:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) [bye]
Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [17/32] Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[17/32] Samantha Cornett (CAN) v Alexandra Fuller (RSA)
[9/16] [12] Amanda Sobhy (USA) [bye]
[9/16] [14] Salma Hany (EGY) [bye]
Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) v [17/32] Joey Chan (HKG)
[17/32] Emily Whitlock (ENG) v Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG)
[7] Nouran Gohar (EGY) [bye]
[5] Joelle King (NZL) [bye]
Low Wee Wern (MAS) v [17/32] Fiona Moverley (ENG)
[17/32] Yathreb Adel (EGY) v Haley Mendez (USA)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) [bye]
[9/16] [11] Annie Au (HKG) [bye]
Olivia Fiechter (USA) v [17/32] Zeina Mickawy (EGY)
[17/32] Nicol David (MAS) v Rachel Arnold (MAS)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) [bye]
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) [bye]
Lisa Aitken (SCO) v [17/32] Milou van der Heijden (NED)
[17/32] Mariam Metwally (EGY) v Julianne Courtice (ENG)
[9] Tesni Evans (WAL) [bye]
[16] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) [bye]
[WC] Lucy Turmel (ENG) v [17/32] Nele Gilis (BEL)
[17/32] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Tinne Gilis (BEL)
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) [bye]
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) [bye]
[17/32] Hollie Naughton (CAN) [bye]
[17/32] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v Danielle Letourneau (CAN)
[15] Joshna Chinappa (IND) [bye]
[13] Victoria Lust (ENG) [bye]
Melissa Alves (FRA) v [17/32] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA)
[17/32] Mayar Hany (EGY) v Coline Aumard (FRA)
[2] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) [bye]
Pictures courtesy of PSA
Mark McCafferty to step down as Premiership CEO, replaced by Darren Childs
Mark McCafferty will step down as Premiership Rugby chief executive at the end of the current season, to be replaced by Darren Childs.
McCafferty has spent 14 years in the post, delivering numerous rights deals as well as helping negotiate the recent sale of a Premiership stake to CVC.
Childs will leave his present role at digital broadcaster UKTV to take up the Premiership Rugby role.
"Mark has played a pivotal leadership role," chairman Ian Ritchie said.
"The growth of the club game in England and Europe during that time has been tremendous."
Billy Vunipola: Personal beliefs won't divide dressin room - Danny Care
England scrum-half Danny Care says Billy Vunipola's controversial social media post is not something that will divide a dressing room.
England number eight Vunipola defended the now-sacked Australian international Israel Folau's assertion that "hell awaits" gay people.
On Tuesday, the Saracens forward was given a "formal warning" by the Rugby Football Union.
Care, who plays for Harlequins, believes many players who did 'like' the post would now change their mind about doing so.
Listen to the latest episode of the Rugby Union Weekly podcast here.
'World-class' Ford praised by England and Leicester team-mate Youngs
Leicester would be much deeper in the relegation mire were it not for the "phenomenal" George Ford, says Tigers and England team-mate Ben Youngs.
Fly-half Ford was instrumental on Friday as Leicester beat Newcastle 27-22 to go eight points clear of Falcons, who are bottom of the Premiership.
"I dare say without him, I don't know where we would be," Youngs told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
"He's a world-class player and he's showing that to everyone."
Defeat at Kingston Park would have left the Tigers on the verge of relegation to the Championship, but two tries from Guy Thompson and 12 points from Ford coupled with a valiant late defensive effort secured a priceless win.
Youngs, who is out for the rest of the season after shoulder surgery, says Ford's game management was crucial in delivering a result that may have preserved Leicester's Premiership status.
"I just think he's been unbelievable the last few weeks. His game control at the weekend was just phenomenal," he continued.
"He has continued to grab the bull by the horns and steer the ship. Given the adversity, to play like he has, is credit to him.
"But we still have three games to go and the Premiership has been just crazy. Until we are guaranteed safety, I will still be watching very nervously."
'No choice' over shoulder surgery
Youngs is expected to miss about three months following his surgery, and should return in time for England's World Cup training camps later in the summer.
He says he had no choice over the timing of the operation after picking up the injury against Scotland during the Six Nations.
"At the time I felt it but thought it was OK and it would settle. I then had it scanned [following the Six Nations], went and saw the specialist, and he said 'you just can't play'," Youngs added.
"I saw him at 12.30 and was being operated on at two o'clock so it all happened pretty quickly.
"You never want to miss games but it happened and I didn't really have a choice in it. But it should be 12 weeks and a pretty simple recovery time provided there are no hiccups."
England number eight Vunipola given 'formal warning' by RFU
Billy Vunipola has been given a "formal warning" by the Rugby Football Union after the England player defended Israel Folau's social media post claiming "hell awaits" gay people.
The 26-year-old number eight liked the post by Folau and called for people to "live their lives how God intended".
Vunipola, who has also been warned by his club Saracens, has been "reminded of his responsibilities" by the RFU.
During a meeting, the RFU said Vunipola had "expressed genuine regret".
"The warning will be retained on his disciplinary record for a period of five years and may be taken into account in future disciplinary proceedings," the RFU said in a statement.
"During the meeting the player expressed genuine regret at his public comments and understood that he had caused hurt and offence as a result of his actions.
"He has been reminded of his responsibilities as an England player and as an ambassador for the game, which values inclusivity and respect."
Vunipola released his own statement on Monday saying he had not intended to "cause suffering".
"I can see that my recent post has hurt people," said the Sarries forward. "My intention was to express my belief in the word of God.
"These beliefs are a source of great strength, comfort and guidance in my life. Anyone who knows me, knows I live with kindness and love towards ALL people."
Folau's contract was terminated by Rugby Australia because of a "high-level breach" of his code of conduct.
Vunipola is set to feature for Saracens in their European Champions Cup semi-final against Munster on Saturday as the English champions aim to reach a fourth final in six years.
Sarries director of rugby Mark McCall said the controversy has been "a distraction", and is "thankful the club and RFU have acted quickly".
"He's obviously had a challenging few days," McCall told BBC Sport.
"As a team we see the matter as having been dealt with and we want to talk about the rugby and concentrate on the rugby."
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