Korean table tennis has been lucky enough to pick up a few ‘items’ at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Pyeongchang, South Korea, that will come in handy for the upcoming Asian Games in 2023.
The Asian Championships, which kicked off on September 9 at the Pyeongchang Dome in Gangwon Province, is a big feast for Asian table tennis every two years.
Unlike previous years, this year’s tournament has taken on a different character as a ‘precursor to the Asian Games’.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, which were originally scheduled to be held last year, were delayed by one year due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and will open on March 23.
In the meantime, Korean athletes reportedly had difficulty adjusting to the table at the beginning of the Asian Championships.
A table made by China’s DHS was used as the official table for the tournament, but the bounce of the ping-pong ball was quite different from other tables.
According to the table tennis players, 바카라사이트 the ball tends to lose speed when it bounces and does not bounce well.
“The DHS table tends not to bounce well,” said Seo Hyo-won (36, Korea Horse Society), the ‘eldest sister’ of the national team. “Table tennis is a very delicate sport, and I couldn’t get used to it when I played my first game because the rotation was different.”
Seo and the rest of the national team quickly adapted to the DHS table.
However, the KTA also wanted to eliminate any small variables that could prove to be negative at the Asian Games.
As the Asian Championships progressed and the four tables in the center of the stadium became obsolete, the Table Tennis Association quickly contacted the Korean Sports Ministry.
At the request of the table tennis federation, the KTA agreed to purchase four used DHS tables and install them in the table tennis training center at the Jincheon Athletic Village.
The tables would be difficult to dispose of once the tournament was over. The sports organization reportedly purchased the DHS tables at a “reasonable price”.
Thanks to the quick administration of the table tennis association and the help of the sports ministry, the team had a chance to fully adapt to the DHS table in Jincheon before the Asian Games.
“As the DHS table is used in many international competitions, we decided to bring it to the athletes’ village and secure the table to improve the athletes’ adaptability,” said an official from the table tennis association. “We also considered the possibility that the DHS table could be used as an official table at the World Championships in Busan next year.” 슬롯
