World Table Tennis announced today the hosting of two marquee events in China, which will be delivered after the Chengdu 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals.
From 19 to 23 October, with USD$800,000 prize money on offer, WTT Champions Macao will gather the Top 30 men and women stars from the ITTF World Table Tennis Rankings published on 23 August 2022 and two wildcards.
The lineup for WTT Champions Macao is sure to have fans excited, with China's best players leading the charge. The event will also see inaugural WTT Champions Men's Singles winner Tomokazu Harimoto chasing back-to-back titles in Macao. Meanwhile, the likes of Sweden's Truls Moregard and Brazil's Hugo Calderano will light up Infinity∞Arena in a bid for WTT Series glory.
In the Women's Singles, after Singapore Smash and WTT Champions European Summer Series 2022, China's top seeds will be looking to add to their title collection. Standing in their way will be Japan's Mima Ito, Austria's Sofia Polcanova and Puerto Rico's Adriana Diaz.
This will be the last opportunity for players to earn ranking points and qualify for the next event of the 2022 WTT Series, WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang.
From 27 to 30 October, the WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang will provide the stage for the best 16 men and women players to battle it out to be crowned champions and for USD$1,000,000 prize money.
Both events will feature men's and women's competitions held simultaneously, with only a main draw knockout phase, played on just one table, and equal prize money awarded to men and women players.
Liu Guoliang, Board Member and Council Chair of World Table Tennis, commented:
"There will be two marquee WTT events in China following the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, so the table tennis craze will continue for a long time, which is very beneficial to the promotion of this sport.
"In 2020, Macao hosted the inaugural WTT event. Now, Macao is going to host the WTT Champions which is also a reward for the support and love from the fans and Macao SAR government. In addition, the WTT Cup Finals will be held in Xinxiang, Henan. Located in the heart of China, Henan has a very strong table tennis fan base. The holding of WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang will have a radiating effect on the promotion of table tennis throughout China.
"We expect players from all over the world to fully explore and experience China's history, culture and customs by participating through the Chengdu ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals, WTT Champions Macao and WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang. May table tennis become the bridge connecting the world again."
World Table Tennis has re-imagined, re-energised and re-defined the sport to match audiences' needs, create more touchpoints with fans and merge sport and entertainment to produce unmissable events.
Every year, the official professional table tennis series of events WTT Series includes:
WTT Contender and WTT Star Contender events, designed to mix global stars, national heroes and rising stars across men's and women's singles, doubles and mixed competitions.
WTT Champions events, featuring high-octane action with the 32 best men's and women's singles players
WTT Grand Smashes, the foundation of the WTT Series and the pillars of the season, bringing two-week-long thrill with the best 128 men's and women's singles players as well as doubles and mixed doubles action.
WTT Cup Finals, one prestigious event at the end of the season, with the best of the best only
The WTT Series is complemented by the WTT Feeder Series, a lower tier of events designed for elevating grassroots talent to global stars, and the WTT Youth Series, where the future stars begin their professional journey. This event structure establishes a straightforward journey from Day 1 to World Number 1.
Since its launch in 2021, despite all challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Table Tennis has successfully delivered every tier of its pyramid of events across all continents. The first WTT Cup Finals in Singapore in December 2021, the first WTT Grand Smash in Singapore in March 2022 and the first WTT Champions in Budapest in July 2022 were all complete successes setting impressive standards on both TV broadcast and digital platforms.
Steve Dainton, ITTF Group CEO and World Table Tennis Director, commented:
"World Table Tennis has created a fully professional platform for the athletes, from young players to champions, and it has really come to life this year. We delivered our first Grand Smash, brought our premium tier of events to Europe in the summer, and now announced marquee events in China. These are crucial and impressive milestones demonstrating both our strength and potential. We continue being ambitious as we clearly are on the right path to grow the sport worldwide."