Dubai, UAE, February 19, 2017:  Two of the most popular sports in the UAE joined forces over the weekend to celebrate UAE National Sports Day with the UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Women’s Open Championships, which was conducted at Dubai Design District on 16 and 17 February. 

Organized by UAE Table Tennis and Badminton Association’s Chairwoman of the Women’s Sports Committee, Eng. Majd Albloushi, in conjunction with the Dubai Sports Council, Shuttle Time Dubai and Ping Pong Dubai, and with the support of venue partner Dubai Design District and technology partner MySports.ae, the event atttracted more than 200 players from 15 nationalities 

The competition was organized in four age categories in table tennis and three categories in badminton in a round robin competition before the knock out rounds to ensure players gained valuable competition experience. The preliminary rounds were held on Thursday, with the finals and over 18 year olds playing on Friday.

The Table Tennis Championship was also pleased to welcome two Kuwaiti clubs, Salwa Al Sabbah Sports Club and Al Fatat Sports Club, whose participation elevated the level of competition.

The badminton competition saw 63 matches contested and unearthed some new talent, particularly in the Under 13 category. In a display of great racquet skills and footwork, the category was won by Nidhi Shailendra Desai from Dubai, with a victory over Rinitha Rajith of Ajman.

The under 17 category was one of the most hotly contested of the tournament, with young star Tanisha Crasto adding to her impressive tally of victories in the region with a win over Nidha Abdul Najeeb.

In the women’s doubles, it was another close affair with the pairing of Palwasha Bashir and Nafeesah Sara Siraj too strong for the opponents. Five times Pakistan ex-national champion Palwasha Basheer and Nafeesa Sara Siraj, a Kerala State Champion and a Silver Medallist at the CBSE India Nationals, defeated Elme De Villiers and Amritha Kuttikrishnan in the Finals for the winner podium.

The table tennis was contested in four age groups, Under 12, Under 15, Under 18 and Over 18 years of age, in total of 142 matches were played.

In the Under 12 category the winner was Melody Van Es, with Gopika Ramesh runner-up. The Under 15 winner was Theola Johnes who defeated Christy Joseph in the final, while in the Under 18s Aishwarya Chockalingam overcame Soniya Bhat to take the title.  The over 18 category was won by Jaymee Yanga, with Menwa Majid the runner-up.

Albloushi, also a Board member of UAETTBA and Head of the Championship Organizing Committee, said “We are proud to say that championship goals and vision were achieved. We have now a database of more than 100 table tennis female players. In addition, we introduced an Emirati player evaluation program, the first of its idea and type in UAE. This will be used to evaluate the players and select the best for the UAE National team.

“In addition to some great matches, we enjoyed seeing the interaction between the table tennis and badminton players, with many trying their hand at the other sport during break times.

“This is the first championship I have organized and I am very happy with the positive response from the Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council, Kuwaiti clubs administrators and players, table tennis technical experts of UAE Al Ahli and Al Shabab Sports Clubs, participants and parents, which makes us sure that we achieved the important goals of making this championship a special and memorable one for all participants.”