Teo receives the sponsorship from Tan (fifth right) while from (fourth right) Ho, Ling, Wong, Moh (left, back row) and others look on.
A total of 112 players will be vying for top honours in the 1st Hornbill Cup International Table Tennis Championship that will be held at SJK Chung Hua No. 3 Alumni Hall, Jalan Padungan from Aug 3 to 4.
Organised by the Table Tennis Association of Sarawak (TTAS), the event is divided into two categories with 16 teams in the Open competition including seven from Sarawak.
The Under 13 competition will be participated by 12 teams including six from Sarawak.
Among the participating countries are Singapore, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Philippines and Sarawak (Malaysia).
National paddler Alice Chang Li Sian will spearhead Sarawak’s challenge and lead the paddlers in the oath-taking ceremony.
The main objective of this tournament is to provide exposure for state and national paddlers and to give them a chance to play against the top players from other countries.
Singapore and Thailand will be sending their national junior teams to this meet.
Apart from enhancing the friendship between the players and officials in the ASEAN region, the tournament is also aimed at preparing the state junior paddlers for the coming National Junior Table Tennis Championship next month.
This tournament offers attractive prizes including RM6,000 in cash, a trophy and medals for the Open champions, RM3,000 plus trophy and medals for first runners-up while the joint third placed teams will each get RM2,000, a trophy and medals.
As for the Under 13 category, the champions shall receive RM2,000 in cash, a trophy and medals, first runners-up RM1,000 plus a trophy and medals while the joint third teams will each get RM500, a trophy and medals.
The opening ceremony on Aug 8 will be graced by Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah while Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen will close the event on Aug 4.
Meanwhile, the event’s main sponsor deputy minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Chong Chieng Jen handed over the sponsorship of RM43,200 to TTAS yesterday.
That money will be used by TTAS to purchase nine units of ‘Butterfly’ tables which will be used for this championship and future state or national meets.
Chong was represented by his special assistant Julian Tan Kok Ping, who is former Stampin MP while TTAS advisor Micheal Teo Kim Huat received the sponsorship.
Tan hoped that other ministers and assistant ministers in the Sarawak Cabinet would follow Chong’s example and come forward to support the sport.
“We have many potential players in the state and our young player Karen Lynn Dick even created history by winning the women’s doubles bronze medal at the last Commonwealth Games.
“I would like to encourage others especially in the corporate sector to come forward to help in the development of table tennis in the state.
“By organising this international competition, we are not only helping the development of junior players but also promoting sports tourism in Sarawak,” added Tan.
TTAS also took the opportunity to express its heartfelt appreciation to the Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) especially to its director Dr Ong Kong Swee who is also Sarawak Sports Corporation CEO, for his strong support to TTAS to enable the association to not only organise competitions, but also to send players to national meets.
The allocation from MSNS for the organising of the 1st Hornbill Cup International Table Tennis Championship was about RM30,000.
Also present were TTAS deputy chairman Paul Ling Kiing Tasn, honorary chairmen Wong Tiong Hock and Ho Tion Soo, secretary Moh Fok Choi and the organising committee members.