Mumbai : A 10-member (5 men and 5 women) table tennis team will be representing India at the Incheon Asian Games, beginning September 19. The team was selected on the basis of the players’ national and international ranking, besides keeping in mind the current form of the individual players after the Inter-Institutional championships held in New Delhi in the third week of August.
The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) had sent the names to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) which, in turn, had recommended them to the Sports Ministry for clearance. Though there were speculations about the teams’ clearance in the media, the TTFI was always sure of getting the sports ministry nod.
The paddlers will leave for the South Korean city on September 22 and the table tennis events at the Asian Games begin from September 27.
TTFI secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary said that he was confident of getting the sports ministry’s clearance for his team. “We had projected a clear picture about why our paddlers should compete at the Asiad. Our paddlers had reached the semifinals at Guangzhou and that was good enough reason for their representation. Both the SAI and ministry officials were convinced,” said Choudhary.
