700 bets vie in LG invit’l table tennis

In what its top official claimed as the sport for the Filipino, table tennis gets a chance to further boost its popularity and gain a mainstream appeal with the staging of the first LG table tennis age-group invitational championships next week at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.

Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) president Victor Valbuena and JB Bandol, marketing manager of the sponsoring LG Electronics, guested in yesterday’s PSA Forum at the Manila Pavilion to hype up the event which fires off Sept. 16.

"We believe table tennis is the sport for the Filipinos. You don’t need to be small or stand 6-foot-10 tall to excel in it," said Valbuena in the public sports program sponsored by Red Bull, Agfa Colors and PAGCOR.

"You have to see it for yourself kung gaano kadami ang naglalaro ng table tennis ngayon," he added.

That should be obvious in the number of participants — around 700 of them — who will vie for top honors in various divisions in what is billed to be the biggest gathering of table tennis players and enthusiasts from the 10-under category all the way up to the seniors level, including those in the 60-and-above bracket.

The meet also serves as part of the national team’s training for the coming Southeast Asian Games as members Richard Gonzales, Sendrina Balatbat and Jojo Almazan clash in some kind of a "Battle of the Champions" format.

The big number of entries likewise forced the organizers to hold a two-day qualifying round on Sept. 14-15 at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

To spice up the four-day event sponsored by top electronics firm LG, the organizing International Management Group (IMG) is putting up a celebrity tournament, featuring TV, movie and sports personalities, and a men’s LIHA event, to be participated in by those who saw action in the last PCSO-President’s Cup National age-group championships.

Put up by LG in its continuing effort to help promote the sport and provide the upcoming and current top players the proper venue to showcase their skills and talent, the event is also backed by Tibhar, Accel, Rustan’s, Café Lupe, Aqua Vida, Luxaria, NBC, Ayala Center, 103.5, K-Lite and The STAR.