The much anticipated table tennis event at the 2015 Pan American Games has begun today in Toronto, Canada in front of a sell out crowd.
80 players representing 16 countries from North and Latin America have converged at the Atos Markham Pan Am Centre for the 17th Pan American Games and the ninth for table tennis.
The event kicks off with the team’s event, where each country is represented by their top three players on their quest for gold.
The Pan American Games teams event follows the Olympic format, with two singles matches followed by doubles and then two reverse singles matches. The match goes on until one team reaches three victories.
The Brazilian men will be looking to continue their recent dominance of the event, which has seen them win six out of the eight times the event has taken place.
Brazil is headed by 18-year-old, Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Hugo CALDERANO, who will be using the team event to get himself familiar to the conditions for an assault on the men’s singles later this week.
Prior to CALDERANO’s first match he stated: ” am very happy to be here at such a big event. I am excited to be playing in my first Pan American Games and I am very eager to get started. I hope this will be a good spring board to more success at my home Olympic Games next year.”
USA, who boasts the youngest and oldest players in the competition in Kanak JHA – 15 years old and Jimmy BUTLER – 44 years year old will be stern competitors for the Brazilian team, as will be the strong Cubans.
Despite never winning a Pan American Games women’s team gold medal, the Brazilian team are the number one seeds and the team to beat.
Puerto Rico, who are seeded four are seen as the dark horse for the event, and if they can get off to a good start, they could be standing on the podium for a historic first medal.
The medals for the men’s and women’s teams events will be handed on 21 July, before the singles competition starts on 22 July and concluding on 25 July.
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