ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open Kicks Off on Tuesday

Doha, March 25 (QNA) - The 2019 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour Platinum, Qatar Open will kick off on Tuesday at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena. The tournament will run till Sunday with the participation of 275 seeded players from 51 countries including 5 Arab countries which are Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. The winner will receive an award worth $300,000. Details on the tournament were revealed during a press conference which was attended by Khaleel Al Mohannadi, the president of Qatar and Arab Table Tennis Associations and the first vice president of both Asian table Tennis Federation and ITTF as well as Ali Sultan Al Miftah assistant secretary of the federation and head of the tournament, Steve Dainton ITTF CEO, Bruce Burton, Vice President of the ITTF and members of the organizing committee. Qatar's national team includes Ahmed Al Awlaqi, Abdulrahman Al Naggar, Abdulla Al-Sada, Fahed Al Mughanne, Abdulaziz Al Hajaji, Ahmed Khalil El Mohannadi, Mohammed Abdulwahhab. As for the female team, Maha Faramarzi, Aia Mohamed, will be competing. Al Mohannadi said the federation always aims to organize the Qatar Open is the best way possible, revealing that the players' accommodation will including a training hall for the first time. He added that the federation is currently reviewing the possibility of holding next year's tournament in Lusail as the number of participating countries increase to 60. Al Miftah said the organizing committee has completed all the required preparations to hold a great event Dainton said reaching to the 24th edition of the tournament and its sustainability is not easy. He said setting up a training hall for the players in the hotel for the first time in any tournament is a new facility for players and a very great idea He said the organization of all ITTF meeting in Qatar has been easy and all past events have been successful which shows the strength of the Qatari organization. Burton also expressed his delight for being in Qatar and for being charge of the referee development. He added that it has been a pleasure to be in Doha to discuss the referees' preparations for the Olympics and the World Cup in Hungary. (QNA)