Friendly table tennis tournament in Barcelona celebrates China-Spain relations

BARCELONA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Zhonghui Cup table tennis tournament was held in the Spanish city of Barcelona on Saturday as a celebration of the friendship between China and Spain.

The friendly competition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of China-Spain comprehensive strategic partnership, brought together 65 players representing 10 teams from Spanish clubs and six teams made up of Chinese residents in Spain.

"Today, for the first time, we have Chinese players who live in Catalonia playing against local players. It aims to celebrate the relationship and the anniversary of the relations between Spain and China," said the event's organizer Joan Barbera.

Luca Khidasheli, who became Spain's table tennis youth champion last week, was invited to participate in an exhibition match at the start of the event.

"The Chinese always win in many [table tennis] competitions, and the truth is that the level, quality, physique and mentality they have is quite different from here, and it shows a lot, and it was good to play against them to gain this experience and learn more about this sport," 16-year-old Khidasheli told Xinhua.

Table tennis is a growing sport in Spain, where some 15,000 players are now registered with the Spanish federation, according to its officials.