Beijing to host WTT China Smash in autumn

BEIJING, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has won the bid for the World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash from 2024 to 2028, with this year's 11-day event to kick off on September 26, the organizers announced at a press conference here on Tuesday.

"China boasts the largest population of table tennis players in the world and is our leading table tennis market. Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which is the only city in the world to manage both," said Steve Dainton, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Group CEO and WTT director.

"To hold one of our biggest cornerstone events in China's capital city of Beijing on an annual basis is a testament to the growth of the sport," he added.

The 26th World Table Tennis Championships were held in Beijing in 1961, impressing the public at that time. "The WTT China Smash will further arouse people's enthusiasm for this popular sport and contribute to the development of table tennis in the world," noted Chen Jie, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.

The WTT China Smash will be held in the ice hockey, short track and figure skating venues in the Shougang Park of Beijing's Shijingshan District, where the Beijing Winter Olympic venue Big Air Shougang is located.

"The ice rinks will be converted into table tennis courts, while the valuable experience accumulated during the Beijing Winter Olympics is also conducive to hosting international events," said Li Xin, head of the Shijingshan District government.

Men's singles world No. 1 Wang Chuqin expressed his expectations towards competing in the WTT China Smash on home soil. "The world-level event here will leave a lasting memory for me, and I hope more people come to enjoy table tennis," he said.