The 49th World Table Tennis Championships raised its curtain at Tianhe Sports Center, Guangzhou on February 23. Zhang Guangning, Director of Guangzhou Organizing Committee for the 49th World Table Tennis Championships and Mayor of Guangzhou City delivered a welcome speech at the opening ceremony. President Mr. Adham Sharara of the International Table Tennis Federation expressed his gratitude to Guangzhou City and the China Table Tennis Association for their excellent work in his speech.

The 49th World Table Tennis Championships is the most important international sports competition to be held in China before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and also the grandest international competition to be held before the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

There are two events of men's and women's team up for grab. It is expected that over 700 athletes from 140 associations will participate in the competition. According to the sign-up data, all the world teams pay high attention to the championships with most of the world top 16 players in man and woman singles and men and women doubles, including Ryu Seungmin, Vladimir Samsonov, etc. The Chinese Table Tennis Team will also send its first-class players preparing for the Beijing Olympic Games for the Championship.

Editor: Yan