Khalil Al Mohannadi elected as Asian Table Tennis Union president

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President Khalil Al Mohannadi was elected as the president of the Asian Table Tennis Union ...

Tribune News NetworkDohaQatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President Khalil Al Mohannadi was elected as the president of the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) unopposed during the continental body’s General Assembly meeting in Doha on Sunday.Al Mohannadi dons several hats in the sport as he is also the Deputy President of the International Table Tennis Federation, a member of the recently formed World Table Tennis Board.Al Mohannadi follows in the footsteps of Japan’s Rizo Kawakami (1972-1974), Hisao Kido (1974-1976) and Atsushi Goto (1976-2001). They were succeeded by China’s Li Furong (2001-2009) and Cai Zhenhua (2009–2021).Khalil Al Mohannadi said he was looking forward to working with everyone to serve Table Tennis in the Asian country. “I want to work with everyone and join hands together in order to reach the game’s maximum potential. I feel very optimistic for the coming period. I think that this position is less than what Qatar deserves in general, because Qatar has provided a lot for international and Asian table tennis in recent years, until it became undisputedly the home of international table tennis,” he said. “Qatar has hosted all regional and international tournaments since the start of the pandemic. Qatar has held seven tournaments in the last year, so it’s fair to say Qatar has become the home of world table tennis and I am not exaggerating that. Everyone knows that without the support of the Olympic Committee headed by HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani we would not have succeeded in hosting these events,” he addedUnder Khalil Al Mohannadi’s leadership, Qatar has become the focus of major international tournaments. The Qatar Open was first staged in 1994, the tournament joined what was then known as the ITTF Pro Tour, which is now called ITTF World Tour.Additionally, thanks to Al Mohannadi, Doha was the destination for the Asian Championships in 2000, the World Team Championships in 2004, as well as the ITTF Star Awards Evening and ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in 2016. More recently in September, Doha hosted the WTT Star Contender tournament and is the current home for the 2021 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships.Alongside Khalil Al Mohannadi, the entire Executive Committee of the Asian Table Tennis Union was elected unopposed: President: Khalil Al Mohannadi (QAT), Deputy Presidents: Kim Taeksoo (KOR), Xu Xin (CHN), Secretary-General: Afshin Badiee (IRI), Treasurer: Mohamed Baqir Sajad (OMA).