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Over 500 players, majority of them 17 years old and younger, plunge into action Wednesday at the start of the National Age-Group Table Tennis Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“This is a start of our effort to promote table tennis at the grassroots. The fact that we have over 500 players now is a good sign,” said Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) president Victor Valbuena during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum Tuesday at the Pantalan Restaurant.

“We had to stop the registration last week due to typhoon Milenyo, so we extended it until office hours today. We might even reach as many as 600,” Valbuena added.

Joining him in the weekly session sponsored by the Manila City government, Manila Sports Council and PAGCOR was Topcoms marketing director John Malvin Lim, whose Stiga line of table tennis products and equipment is sponsoring the five-day event.

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The Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP) returns to the sports scene with a bang as the National Age-Group Championships reel off from Oct. 4 to 8 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium and SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Aimed at launching TATAP’s grassroots program, the tournament is the first major event under newly reelected president Victor Valbuena, who vowed to organize more competitions in the months ahead to revitalize the sport.

“The National Age-Group Championships is TATAP’s first big competition in its commitment to promote table tennis at the grassroots for a bigger mass base of players,” Valbuena said.

“We chose the SM Megamall for our finals because we believe in the potential of our sport. We want to bring table tennis closer to the public and generate more fans and players once they see top caliber table tennis action,” he added.

A total of 12 categories will be on tap in the five-day tourney: Boys’ and girls’ singles 10-and-under, 12-and-under, 14-and-under, 17-and-under, men’s and women’s singles Open, and men’s and women’s team competitions.

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