Due to concerns regarding the well-being of its athletes, the Hong Kong table tennis delegation has decided to skip two WTT events scheduled in Doha.
Hong Kong’s table tennis group because of worries over player health has decided to withdraw from two World Table Tennis (WTT) events that are scheduled to take place in Doha.
Head coach Chan Kong-wah stated that the Covid-19 precautions at the Lusail Sports Arena do not align with the Hong Kong Sports Institute's mandates, noting that they cannot afford any setbacks with the Tokyo 2020 Games on the horizon.
To adapt to the pandemic, the WTT introduced a 'Middle East hub' concept following the cancellation of the World Championships in Busan. This plan features two events: the WTT Contender (March 3–6) and the WTT Star Contender (March 8–13). These tournaments serve as critical preparation grounds for Olympic hopefuls from nations such as Germany, China, and Japan.
Chan reiterated that the organizers' safety protocols are insufficient for the Sports Institute's standards, especially given the ongoing pandemic risks in the region. He stressed that player safety is non-negotiable. Since the team has already secured their Olympic berths, their primary focus is ensuring every athlete arrives at the Games healthy and ready to compete.
The situation in Qatar has seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 emergency clinic admissions, jumping 85% in the last month, with 363 new cases bringing the total count to 150,984.
A year ago, at the ITTF World Team Qualification Tournament in Gondomar, both the men's and women's squads from Hong Kong successfully earned their tickets to Tokyo 2020.
Following their impressive run to the semi-finals at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-chime are preparing to represent their country in the Olympic mixed doubles event.