SANA'A September 08. 2024 (Saba) – The much-anticipated Republic Clubs Championship for table tennis is set to begin tomorrow, marking the start of a four-day tournament at Al-Ahly Club Hall in the capital Sana'a.
Organized by the Yemeni General Table Tennis Union and supported by the Youth Care Fund, this event is part of the celebrations for the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
A total of 48 players representing 12 clubs will compete in the tournament. The teams have been divided into four groups through a draw, each comprising three clubs. The teams will play each other in a round-robin format within their groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter-finals. The final stages will follow a knockout system until the championship match.
The groupings are as follows:
- **Group One: Ahli Sana'a, Shabab al-Mansouriya, al-Intilaq Lahj
- **Group Two: Al-Saqr, Al-Nasr Hajjah, Al-Wahda Tarim
- **Group Three: al-Orouba, Ahli al-Ghail, Shabab Mahweet
- **Group Four: Shaab Ibb, al-Fateh Dhamar, Shabab al-Ahmadi Rada'a
Mutahhar Zubarah, Secretary-General of the Yemeni General Table Tennis Union, underscored the significance of this tournament as it is the first club-level competition since the last league in 2014. The Federation hopes to revive interest in table tennis at the club level, which will benefit the national teams by serving as a primary source of new talent.
Zubarah expressed gratitude to the participating clubs for their enthusiasm and anticipated strong competition and public interest in the games.
He also highlighted the Union's commitment to making this an annual event and expanding its scope.
The tournament will also feature an ongoing referees' activation course at al-Ahly Club.
This course, supported by the Youth Care Fund, is aimed at preparing referees for the championship. International lecturer "Blue Badge" Nofal al-Habashi is providing training on the latest developments in refereeing and updates to international rules.
The Union appreciates the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Youth Care Fund for their role in ensuring the success of the tournament and the accompanying referee course.
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