Dhaka: The National Table Tennis competition is set to commence at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium in the capital on January 9, following a rescheduling from the previously planned start date of December 30.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, this year's tournament will launch with singles ranking matches for boys and girls in the under 9, 11, 13, 15, and 17 categories. The initial two days will exclusively feature singles rankings for boys and girls. Notably, Bangladesh does not maintain a national ranking below the Under-19 level.
The eagerly anticipated competition will feature a total of fourteen events, taking place from January 11 to 18, and will include categories for under-19 boys and girls as well as senior men and women. The events are evenly split, with seven in the senior category and seven in the junior (U-19) category.
The senior category will see competitions in men's team, men's singles, men's doubles, women's team, women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. Similarly, the junior (U-19) category will include boys' singles, boys' doubles, boys' team, girls' singles, girls' doubles, girls' team, and mixed doubles.
In a bid to encourage participation, the top eight players in the boys' division will gain the opportunity to compete in the senior men's category. There is no age restriction for girls, allowing them the chance to compete in the senior category as well.
Eligible participants for the competition include district and divisional Sports Associations, education boards, universities, and various service teams such as the Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, and Bangladesh Jail Police. Other participants include the Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Police, BKSP, and government institutions like Bangladesh Railway, BRTC, BTMC, Rural Electricity, and Customs.
The deadline for submitting entries for the competition is set for December 31 at midnight.