Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) chairman Khalil Al Mohannadi, who is also chairman of the Arab and Asian federations and vice-chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation, confirmed that Doha is ready to host the 59th 2025 ITTF World Championships. In an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Mohannadi said Qatar previously hosted the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in 2004, and since then the championship has not been held in the Middle East or Arab countries. Since then, there have been countless difficulties due to the lack of halls, but Qatar is now 80 percent ready to host such a global event, thanks to the availability of luxury and state-of-the-art sports halls, be it Lusail Multipurpose Hall, or Aspire, along with available hotels, Khalil Al Mohannadi said. He added that QTTA has teamwork from Qatari youth with high qualifications and aptitude and hosting the event will not cause any difficulties for the association, noting that the World Championships are different from other championships. He confirmed that Qatar is ready to host such an event and is not waiting for the inspection team to set a date for hosting the event, when it was already set for May 2025. However, due to the high temperature at the bridge, it had suggested that the championship be held in January or February. Al Mohannadi further noted that QTTA has been successful and excelled in organizing combined championships for many years, adding that Qatar will host the Qatar World Table Tennis Championship, which will include 3 international championships and will end on January 30, 2023. He added that Qatar had previously hosted the Asian Qualifiers for the finals of the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in South Africa and will continue to host these combined championships in 2023 and 2024 until the 2025 World Championships. He pointed out that such championships benefit the players because they help reduce financial expenses. He pointed out that when 3 or 4 championships are combined in one place, they ease the burden on the players and participating in these events helps them. raising their global ranking, he said. The QTTA President affirmed that the State of Qatar has all kinds of potential, including unparalleled hotels and halls, as is the case with this combined championship currently being held at the Lusail Hall, where all facilities have been provided to the players. Qatar offers things that are rarely offered in other countries and QTTA organizes the best championships and this is reflected in the remarkable number of first world champions and title holders participating in these championships, Al Mohannadi confirmed, adding that QTTA remained the best associations and the first in the world to organize tournaments. Through professionalism and existential support, QTTA has been rehabilitated and distinguished, and Qatar has world-classed young players as well as Gulf and Arab-classed players, he said. He pointed out that QTTA ranks first globally in the number of championships hosted, as recognized by the International Table Tennis Federation family, and claimed that there is no organization in the world that can organize a combined championship. for consecutive months. Al Mohannadi told QNA that the QTTA was not affected by the COVID-19 crisis affecting all countries in the world, which caused the suspension of sports activities, with Qatar hosting the majority of the suspended tournaments in 2021, with nearly 780 players from 75 countries. was organized at that time in a combined table tennis tournament. China’s national team camp will also host for a year and a half, unlike FIVB’s 227 members, whose activities stopped that year, pointing out that the federation will continue on this path as it hosts a combined four tournaments in October 2023. Al Mohannadi emphasized that although he has many important positions in the world of table tennis (QTTA President, Arab and Asian Federations President, ITTF Vice President), he has not yet achieved his goals as he aims to become the ITTF President in 2026, the establishment of the International Federation In connection with the 100th anniversary, saying that he is now the president of the Asian and Arab Leagues and aspires to be the leader of the international league and will apply for this during 2025. The QTTA president praised the dream team leading the Qatar table tennis renaissance project, revealing that this project started four years ago and four players who have risen from fifth to tenth in the world, explaining that the most difficult stage of table tennis is for the age groups of 11-15 years. Al Mohannadi said that he was one of the founders and supporters of the idea of establishing the World Table Tennis Foundation (WTT), which shows that it represents the future of the game in a world where the foundation was involved in supporting table tennis financially. and organizationally, when matches became more aesthetic, such as wrestling and boxing arenas, which attracted spectators who did not like this game. Regarding the tournaments organized by the Arab, Asian and International Table Tennis Federations in the coming season, he explained that the program of these federations is full of tournaments, as the Arab Championship and the Asian Junior Championship will be held in Iraq, the Arab and West Asian Club Championship in Lebanon. As for the World Cup, this year the World Cup will be held in Durban, South Africa, the 2024 World Cup will be held in Korea, the 2025 World Cup will be held in Qatar, while the 2026 World Cup will be decided by voting this year.
