|
Will Feng Tianwei be the next national champion? (Photo:Team Singapore)
The biggest draw in Singapore’s national table tennis competition this year will be the presence of Singapore’s national paddlers. The paddlers are featuring in the national championship for the first time since its inception.
The National Table Tennis Grand Finale, which started on Friday, March 5 and ends on Saturday, March 13, will see the likes of Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu and Sun Beibei pit their skills against local Singaporeans, like 15 year-old Aldrea Leong, who will face Feng in singles competition on Monday.
Traditionally, the stars have given the tournament a miss in favour of overseas competitions but this time round, the Singapore Table Tennis Association decided that as national team players, they have a duty to promote table tennis locally as well as competing for national pride overseas.
STTA president Lee Bee Wah hopes that the presence of these star players will encourage the public to show up and watch them in action.
Indeed, already an Olympic silver-medallist and treble gold-medallist in last year’s SEA Games in Laos, Feng could add the title of national champion in both the singles and doubles competition to her resume come next Saturday.
The competition is on at the Singapore Table Tennis Association at Toa Payoh and admission is free.
By: Daniel Tan
|