This is an interesting development. Gives me a chance to hang out with Dr. Neubauer and an opportunity to tell Ebby Schöler to get stuffed in person. Maybe Adham will even show up with his throne.
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By: Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
The international entertainment capital of the wWorld, the city of Las Vegas has won the right to host the 2018 World Veteran Championships.
At a meeting of the Swaythling Club International staged in Suzhou on Wednesday 13th April at the QOROS World Championships; Las Vegas staved strong competition from the Korean city of Suwon, the Japanese metropolis of Kobe and the western seaboard town of Bordeaux.
Venue for the tournament will be the state-of-the art Las Vegas Convention Center, with the planned dates being Monday 18th to Monday 25th June.
Splendid Premises
Splendid premises and no strangers whatsoever to table tennis, the venue has staged of 50 United States events. It has a quite staggering playing area of over three million square feet and can house no less than 200 table tennis table.
An entry of 5,000 players can be accommodated with some 400 volunteers waiting to be enrolled.
High Level Submissions
“All the submissions were very good; the level of presentation continues to be higher with each bid; look back ten or twenty years and compare, now we have totally new standards”, said Ebby Schöler, the President of the Swaythling Club International. “We were very impressed with the high level of detail in the Las Vegas presentation; everything was very good indeed.”
Led by Gordon Kaye, the Chief Executive Officer of USA Table Tennis, alongside USA Table Tennis Board Member, Dr Michael Baubin and Dean Johnson, a member of the ITTF Veterans Committee, the proposal was presented in a most attractive fashion left no stone unturned.
Notable Committee Members
Notable names and there are two most notable names on the Organising Committee, Stellan Bengtsson and the indomitable Danny Seemiller.
Both have their names etched in history. Stellan Bentsson became the first Swede and the first left hander to win the Men’s Singles title at a World Championships, when he succeeded in Nagoya in 1971; Danny Seemiller did not quite gain the same accolades but he more than left his mark on the sport of table tennis.
He is the only player with a style that bears his name, the “Seemiller Backhand” is an indelible part of history; a version of the shake-hands grip, the same side of the racket as utilized for the forehand is used for the backhand.
In Las Vegas they Danny Seemiller will be eligible for the 60-64 years category; two years older Stellan Bengtsson for the 65-69 category. Hope they play!
Hans Westling
They would be most welcome in the tournament, surely none more so than the Stellan Bengtsson’s compatriot, Hans Westling, he would welcome the entry of the legendary Swede who now lives in San Diego.
Hans Westling is the man always at the helm of the World Veteran Championships on behalf of the Swaythling Club International. He is pleased to return to North America.
“In 2000 we were in Canada, in Vancouver; in 1990 in Baltimore”, he said. “Now Las Vegas in 2018, in what is a very attractive venue.”
The Las Vegas Convention Center awaits with a range of nearby hotels, the International Entertainment Capital of the World is ready to entertain.
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