Dehradun, December 6: Uttarakhand, hosting its first UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championships, couldn’t have asked for a better opening in its fledgling 20 years of existence. Along with the events, the first to take place at the brand-new Multipurpose Hall at the Parade Grounds, the venue will be thrown open for use by the state’s sportspersons when the state chief minister Pushkar Singh Dami inaugurates it tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Not surprisingly, the Uttarakhand Table Tennis Association (UKTTA) has used the opportunity to raise the prize money components across all events, including the Youth Under-1, held for the first time since the new section got added to the national calendar following the age-criteria changes initiated by the ITTF.

In a way, the championships here in different categories—Youth U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17, U-19 and Senior—have several firsts. One, the winners of men and women singles will receive similar prize money of Rs. 1.10 lakh each without any gender inequality. The silver medal winners will get exactly half the amount. The prize purse in other categories as well has swelled substantially. It’s up to players to look for a podium finish to reap the benefits.

The organisers, with help from the Uttarakhand government, have added to the usual prize pool to make the competition attractive.

The 1,066 players with 1,755 entries across categories sum up the importance of playing national ranking events, particularly after the pandemic-induced drought. Players, bored with the overtraining and without worthwhile and routine matches in the last two years, feel the burden of needing to log ranking points.

For them, the events in Dehradun presents that opportunity, thanks to a depleted field with the big guns taking a sabbatical in the men and women’s sections. However, the field has former national champions Manav Thakkar, Sanil Shetty, and Anthony Amalraj, to name a few from the PSPB, who will be in action. Yet, there are young and enterprising paddlers from Bengal, Maharashtra, Telangana, RBI, and AAI who are capable of challenging their supremacy.

A distinct possibility of a battle for the singles crown between Haryana’s Sutirtha Mukherjee and Reeth Rishya of PSPB cannot be ruled out. But they will be wary of PSPB veterans Pooja Saharashrabudhe, former national champion Madhurika Patkar, young Akula Sreeja and Swastika Ghosh. The young brigade has recently proved itself with quality performances in international tournaments, and it will be ready to stretch its streak at home.  There will be those from the Under-19, or even Under-17 sections, competing against the men and women of substance for competition-sake. But some challenges can be nail-biting.

The juniors have, of late, done a lot winning medals in tournaments abroad, and they will be eager to stamp their authority. But it will be the under-11 category that will provide a glimpse of what to expect from the future of India when the tournament begins with this fresh lot of players first-up tomorrow.  

Keeping in view the number of entries, the competition department has laid 21 Stag Americas tables for the tournament and, as usual, will be using Stag balls in senior events and the GK balls in some Youth category events.  

Competition manager N. Ganeshan also confirmed that chief referee A.S. Kler will have a new deputy in first-timer Amit Singh. They will be supported by 40 Blue Badge, international and national umpires.