Queensland’s best table tennis players have converged for the return of a prestigious event on the Sunshine Coast.
Hundreds of matches were contested at the Sunshine Coast Table Tennis Open Championship during the weekend, when it was held for the first time in 10 years.
The two-day event boasted more than 100 competitors of different skill levels, ages and ability.
Lifetime member of Sunshine Coast Table Tennis Club Ken Hay said he was thrilled the club was able to deliver the tournament after such a long hiatus.
Mr Hay has been playing for more than 65 years and he said the game had several benefits.
“This game is great for fitness, the social aspect and for those with the love of the game and there is a great sense of accomplishment from us all after the successful weekend,” he said.
“Table tennis is a game for all ages with competitors from five years old to 100 years old and we welcome new players to the club.”
Currently without a permanent location, the Sunshine Coast Table Tennis Club is based at Maroochydore State High School where they host social training days and a local competition more than three times a week.
A small but growing sport in Australia, table tennis is internationally renowned for its focus on diversity and inclusion with strong representation of players living with a disability.
Member of the Bundaberg Table Tennis Club Gordon Albrecht has survived 10 strokes which left him with peripheral blindness and reduced movement.
Mr Albrecht competed in the para and able-bodied tournament during the weekend and he said the tournament was a great way for him to meet new people and stay fit.
“The table tennis community is great,” he said.
“I’m accepted with my disability, and it gets me out of sitting around the house doing nothing.”
“This is the first competition outside of Bundaberg I’ve ever played and it’s great to meet new people and competitors that I’ve never played before.”
“I started playing table tennis as a way to rehabilitate after my tenth stroke, and it has become a huge part of my life.”
The championships were contested for a handful of years before they were abandoned, essentially due to a lack of support, but the sport’s going through a revival in the region and local club numbers are increasing.
Sunshine Coast Table Tennis club aimed to deliver the event annually again as the club continues to grow.
With the 2032 Olympic Games to be held in South-East Queensland, the club was looking to further develop the junior competition and nurture the region’s top talent.
Learn more via Sunshine Coast Table Tennis.
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