Australia to host first integrated table tennis championships

"This combined event is the perfect way to display Australia’s leading para-athletes alongside able-bodied athletes and the professionalism that they both bring to the court.”

The 2015 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Oceania Cup and Para-Table Tennis Championships will be the first event to integrate able-bodied and para-table tennis in the history of ITTF.

The competition will be held in the City of Greater Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, between 10-12 April 2015 and will act as a qualifier for para-athletes for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

This will be the second edition of the competition, after the first Oceania Para-Table Tennis Championships were held in 2013 in Canberra, Australia.

The 2015 competition, which will be integrated with the ITTF-Oceania Cup, will see up to 21 athletes qualify for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games directly.

“This integration is another great initiative of Table Tennis Australia and Oceania Table Tennis Federation to develop para-table tennis in the region, and further showcase the inclusiveness of the sport.” said Peter Marriott, Table Tennis Australia CEO.

“Both organisations have been working hard on developing para-table tennis in Oceania over the past 12 months through the “Smash Down Barriers” Table Tennis Disability programme, funded by the Australian Government.

“This event will be a unique opportunity to witness the best players in Oceania compete either to qualify for the 2015 World Cups or for the 2016 Paralympic Games.”

On this first ever integrated event, Jason Hellwig, Australian Paralympic Committee CEO, commented: “Not only is it exciting that we’ll be able to see our para-table tennis athletes qualify for Rio right here at home, but the fact that they will be playing next to Australia’s able-bodied athletes side-by-side is a huge step in Paralympic sport becoming a major part of Australia’s sporting identity.”

Australian para-athlete Melissa Tapper added: "This combined event is the perfect way to display Australia’s leading para-athletes alongside able-bodied athletes and the professionalism that they both bring to the court,”

“It’s important that every athlete’s ability would be able to be put on show rather than the disability, and I think next year’s ITTF-Oceania Cup and Para-Table Tennis Championships will showcase it perfectly.”

Find out more about the 2015 ITTF-Oceania Cup & Para-Table Tennis Championships by visiting the official website.