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Japan to host team table tennis champs in 2014

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-12 17:44

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Japan will host the 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, which was announced after the annual general meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation ITTF on Tuesday during the World Championships in Rotterdam.

The event will be held at the Yoyogi National Stadium for the second time. It will be the sixth time Japan host the World Championships. In 2009 in Yokohama it was last held in Japan and the team event was held along with the individual tournament in Osaka in 2001.

Due to the earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan and the subsequent nuclear crisis several international tournaments scheduled in Japan had to be postponed or cancelled recently.

Adham Sharara, president of the ITTF, considers the organization as an opportunity for Japan to convince the international community that the country is on its way to recovery.

"This move was strongly encouraged by the ITTF and after discussions with the JTTA (Japanese federation) we were pleased to reach a positive outcome," Sharara declared. "It is important for Japan to display courage in adversity and host world class events, we wanted to ensure the ITTF could provided an opportunity for such an event."

In 2012 the World Team Table Tennis Championships will be in held in Germany and the following year France will host the individual Championships.