Sunday, Jan 12, 2014
Dubai: Table tennis superstar Jike Zhang of China dedicated his ‘2013 Male Table Tennis Star’ award to followers of the sport at a glittering ceremony in Dubai on Saturday evening after the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) launched the inaugural ‘2013 ITTF Star Awards Driven by GAC Motor’ at the Raffles Hotel with great fanfare.
Olympic champion Jike, who successfully defended his world championship gold in 2013, was a unanimous choice for the ‘2013 ITTF Male Table Tennis Star’ award sponsored by Ping Pong Dubai.
“Sorry that I have won both the awards tonight!” Jike said in jest, referring to his other win, the Fan’s Table Tennis Star award. “This award does not belong to me, it belongs to all the table tennis people across the globe. Let’s all keep on playing this sport we love, and I look forward to more success in the future.”
Li Xiaoxia, also of China, was recognised as the best women’s player for 2013 during the ceremony, which was co-hosted by Dubai Sports Council. “Thank you everyone for their support, especially Chinese table tennis. I am very honoured to win this prestigious award,” said Li, who added the 2013 world championship gold to the Olympic gold she won in London 2012. “I will try my best in the future to bring more success,” she added.
The male and female table tennis stars were nominated by the ITTF Athlete’s Commission and the winners were selected by the ITTF Star Awards Selection Commission, which comprised of a representative from the ITTF Athlete’s Commission, ITTF Para Division and the ITTF President Adham Sharara.
China’s Ma Lin capped a memorable 2013 by becoming the ‘2013 Para Male Table Tennis Star presented by Tinsue’, after beating a stellar field of nominees.
Staff Report
Gulf News 2014. All rights reserved.
