JEDDAH, 19 May 2008 — The 1st Saudi International Open Table Tennis Championship for Super Veterans ended on Thursday here. Over 60 players from Egypt, US, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, and Jordan and ranging in age from 30 to over 70 entered the competition.

Egypt dominated the four-day tournament, sweeping the first three places in the team event and posting victories as well in various age-group categories in the singles and doubles. Egypt’s two Interior teams placed first and second with Al-Farainah claiming the third position.

In the 50 and above doubles event, Egyptians filled the first three places courtesy of Mohamemd Shihata and Mohammed Al-Masiri, Yahya Zakariya and Saudi Rida Garout and Al-Sahawi and Alaa Al-Dein Salamah came third. The Egyptians just missed another 1-2-3 sweep in the 40 and above doubles when the Saudi pair of Fawzi Ghazali and Yousif Ghazali took third place behind the tandems of Ashraf Hilmi and Alaa Abdulminim and Khalid Hassan and Mansour Al-Rakhawi.

In the 30 and above doubles, first place went to Egyptians Yassir Subhu and Ayman Zakariya, second to Abdullah Al-Shmrani and Essam Salah, and third to Sami Al-Mutazz and Wael Al-Zaz. The 70 and above singles also went Egypt’s way with teammates Essam Mugbil and Ibrahim Shata winning the top two places. Hussam Abulathem of the US ruled the 60 and above singles in which another Egyptian Wajdi Al-Abd placed second and Jalal Muneir third.

In the 50 and above singles, first place went to Mohammed Shihata, second to Fawzi Ghazali, and third to Mohammed Ashrafi. In the 40 and above singles, first place went to yet another Egyptian Ashraf Hilmi, Saudi Bandar Al-Omairi was second and Egyptian Alaa Abulmunim third.

Yassir Subhi, Ashraf Subhi and Ayman Zakariya were the first three winners in the 30 and above singles.

Saudi Abulmajeed Al-Jawhari received the ideal player award, while best player award went to Fawzi Ghazali, best coach award to Mohammed Rashad, and best administrator award to Mohammed Ghareeb.

According to Khalid Al-Salihi, president of the competitions committee at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), what is special about this championship is that each player will be able to play in his age category and in the lower age category. “This would make it more exciting for the players as they try to beat their peers and the younger ones too,” he said. The tournament proceeded as scheduled thanks to Abdullah Al-Bar, member at the ITTF’s Sports Sciences committee and director of the event. “He believed in the importance of running this event and worked hard until its launch bearing with all the difficulties of the visa procedures, location etc...,” said Al-Salihi.

Al-Salihi said Egyptian Mohammed Subhi, is among the best active players, while the rest do play only every once in a while because they became either coaches or administrators. He also admired the performance of Egyptian Ashraf Hilmi and Saudi Arabia’s Bandar Al-Omairi. Having these veterans gathering and competing is beneficial, he said, because we allow them to know that they are still experts and their long experience could benefit their peers.

Hopefully to become an annual event the championship entries are expected to increase with the addition of the 80 years old category.

Romania, Switzerland and the UK wanted to come but could not due to the conflict in their schedules, according to Al-Salihi.