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Busan to serve up table tennis showdown
Korean players Jang Woo-jin, right, and Lim Jong-hoon in action during the Men's doubles final match at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban, South Africa.
The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 Presented by BNK Busan Bank will take place from Feb. 16 to 25 at BEXCO, Haeundae-gu District. Athletes from around the world will compete for their spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Acclaimed table tennis stars, including No. 1-ranked women's doubles player Shin Yu-bin, men's singles No. 9-ranked player Tomokazu Harimoto from Japan, and men's singles No. 1-ranked player Fan Zhendong from China, headline the star-studded competition.
The International Table Tennis Federation has held championship tournaments since 1926. Since 2003, individual and national team events have been held separately, with individual play occurring on odd-numbered years and national team play on even-numbered years.
This landmark event is Korea's first time hosting an ITTF tournament. Busan was slated to host the World Team Table Tennis Championships in 2020, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. City officials expect over 30,000 fans from home and abroad to come and enjoy the pinnacle of global table tennis.
National pride is on the line as teams try to take home the Swaythling Cup as winners of the Men's competition and the Corbillon Cup as winners of the Women's competition. China is the defending champion and no. 1 seed in both categories. In addition, the top eight Men's and Women's Teams will book their tickets to compete at the Summer Olympics in Paris later this year.
The Men's and Women's Teams events feature eight groups of five countries trying to advance to the knockout rounds. The Korean Women's Team, ranked No. 5, will face off against Puerto Rico, Italy, Malaysia and Cuba in Group 5.
The No. 3-ranked Korean Men's team will square off against India, Poland, Chile and New Zealand in Group 3. They are hungry for a spot in the final after losing to Germany in the semifinals in 2022.
Group play will run from Feb. 16 to 20. Knockout rounds will occur before the Women's Team Finals on Feb. 24 and the Men's Team Finals on Feb. 25. Championship matches will be played at 8 p.m.
Don't miss this chance to watch top-level paddlers showcase their unparalleled table tennis prowess. Tickets to the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 Presented by BNK Busan Bank are available on Interpark.
learn more: busan2024.com/en
<Voca Spotlight>
Athlete: 운동선수
Acclaimed: 찬사받는, 호평받는
be slated to: ~로 예정된
unparalleled: 타의추종을 불허하는