There are just over 7 months or 220 days to go until the European Table Tennis Championships in Linz (AUT) – with 600 top aces from 50 nations. Double European champion Sofia Polcanova will defend the singles and doubles title she won in Munich in 2022 in her adopted home. They know the hall from countless tournaments. “But you never stop learning. The opportunity to observe and analyse a top event of another Olympic sport up close with the Judo World Tour is just what we need,” emphasized Wolfgang Gotschke, President of the Austrian Table Tennis Association, and Sports Director Stefan Fegerl.
Pierre Kass, Secretary General of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), was also in attendance. “Those who think outside the box will continue to develop. We can learn from each other. This exchange of ideas will certainly not be the last of its kind,” emphasized the Luxembourger.
Together with host Martin Poiger, EJU Secretary General and Judo Austria President, and Secretary General Corina Korner, all organizational areas from transport, catering and anti-doping facilities to logistics, technical set-up and all sporting matters were scrutinized down to the smallest detail. “As a former athlete, I was particularly fascinated by the judoka’s warm-up and the high intensity of the fights,” marvelled Stefan Fegerl, himself a two-time European table tennis champion during his active career.
“We have 528 judoka from 78 nations as guests in Linz over these three days. The Olympic qualification for Paris is entering its final phase. The sporting level is correspondingly high. As organizers, we can’t afford to show the slightest bit of weakness. It will be no different at the European Table Tennis Championships in October,” says Martin Poiger.
A return visit in October is already a foregone conclusion …
Author: EJU Media