A very impressive total of had 126 registrations from 46 countries with all six continents sending nominations has been received for the ITTF World Hopes Week to be held at the Werner Schlager Academy in Vienna , Austria from Monday 20th to Sunday 26th June 2011. It is a great result for a global talent identification project of this nature. In this respect International Table Tennis Federation is unique; it is leading the way. Good ResultsThe ITTF Hopes Programme the way it is designed is innovative, direct and designed with a purpose. We have already seen very good results ...

Two players or two pairs face each other in battle; that’s the essence, the nature of a table tennis match. However, it has been known that in a table tennis contest there have been two other enemies: the umpire and the coach! No doubt we can all recollect occasions when there has been a difference of opinion especially when it comes to serving, over the years surely the most contentious issue in table tennis. The coach believes umpire needs to see an optician, the umpire considers the coach should learn the rules. Credit to all ConcernedHowever, credit to both sides; a...

Detailed, meticulous planning is the key to the success of any event, the World Championships is no exception; in fact it is a prime example. Over 800 players have registered to compete in the World Championships to be staged in Rotterdam from Sunday 8th to Sunday 15th May 2011. Add to that number: coaches, officials, guests and a massive logistical exercise is the order of proceedings. Furthermore, there is an added ingredient; on the last three days of competition the Dutch Para Table Tennis Open Championships, a Factor 40 tournament for ranking purposes, will be staged. Ah...

Thailand suffered a double blow after Duanganong Arookesorn-Kunchala Voravichitchaikul and Songphon Anugritayawon-Sudket Prapakamol were shown the exit on Day 3 of the Yonex Australian Open in Melbourne. In the women’s doubles, Duanganong-Kunchala were sent packing by China’s Ou Dongni-Xiong Rui while Songphon-Sudket were swept away by Chinese Taipei’s Liang Jui Wei-Liao Hao Kuan in the men’s doubles. The Australian Open, which used to be a Grand Prix tournament, is making its debut season as a Grand Prix Gold tournament, offering USD120,000 in total prize ...

Hot on the heels of the Formula One Grand Prix around Albert Park Lake, Melbourne last week comes the biggest badminton event in Australia - the 2011 Yonex Australian Open Grand Prix Gold. Graduating from its previous status as a Grand Prix event, this year’s event offers USD120,000 in total prize money and has attracted a strong cast with players from China making their way to the tournament. Played at the prestigious Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC), fans can catch reigning World Champion and former number one Wang Lin of China in action. She will be joined by Li...

World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei, through his “Hope & Smile” charity fundraiser, raised more than RM600,000 for the Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. The two-time All England Open winner organised two exhibition matches in Penang and Kuala Lumpur and auctioned off several of his badminton equipment. Helping Chong Wei was former world and Olympic champion Taufik Hidayat, who flew into Malaysia to play a match against his good friend. Chong Wei won the friendly match 22-22, 19-21, 22-20. One of the racquets Chong Wei used to win this year’s All-England badmin...

Paris, March 24th 2011, The video of the proceedings during the Badminton Showcase “One night with Stars” held in Queue d’Arve Velodrome, Geneva on the 14th of March, 2011, is now available online on Totalsports.tv. This event was held to collect funds and create awareness for the charity foundation, Solibad – Badminton without Borders. This 90 minutes video is now available to all countries and can be purchased as a Video-on-Demand (VOD) at a fee of USD 4.79 on Totalsports.tv. This video will be available on this online platform until the 8th of May 2011. &ldqu...

Geneva, March 14th 2011,  For the first time in the world, Badminton and music were united together in an extraordinary evening with all benefits going to the charity foundation Solibad – Badminton without borders. A first glance at benefits shows that more than 10 000 euros will be raised at least for the Foundation’s projects while the spectators clearly enjoyed a unique show. Some 1000 people showed up – a rare thing for a Monday night in Geneva – for this amazing event, showcasing some of the world’s top stars : Peter Gade, Nathan Robertson, Pi H...

Kuala Lumpur - It was a day to remember for a group of Myanmar refugee students who visited the Dinos Alive exhibit at the National Science Center recently. The event was sponsored by leading sports marketing agency Total Sports Asia which sponsored 100 students from ages four to 12 years. The children found the trip to pre-historic times so lifelike that some of the younger ones had to be reassured that the dinosaurs were not real with the loud sounds that were emanating from them. It was a memorable experience for the students as many of them did not know about dinosaurs and nev...

In a deal brokered by Total Sports Asia, Asia’s leading independent sports marketing agency, Indonesian snack producer PT Dua Kelinci became the official sponsor for Real Madrid. The sponsorship agreement was signed in Madrid, late last year between Real Madrid officials and the president director of PT Dua Kelinci, Hadi Sutiono and is valid through December, 2012.   This two-year partnership gives Dua Kelinci exclusive rights for the use of the Real Madrid logo, attributes and players and promotional media tools in Indonesia. In addition Dua Kelinci receives exclusive invi...