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Stupa Sports Analyticsand Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) have announced a collaboration for the upcoming WTT Star Contender, scheduled to take place in Goa from January 23 to 28, 2024. The tournament will be held under the guidance of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).
WTT Star Contender is recognized as one of the most prestigious events in the international table tennis calendar that helps players to determine their ITTF rankings.
The event was staged in Goa (first time in India) earlier this year with some of the world’s biggest stars seen in action, including China's World No. 1 Fan Zhendong, Japanese prodigy Tomokazu Harimoto, World No. 4 Wang Yidi, and World No. 5 Hina Hayata.
A total of 40 Indian players participated in the annual tournament with veteran player Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra spearheading the Indian contingent. This was the highest number of participants from the Asian nation in a WTT-organised event.
“Playing against world-class players or watching them from a close quarter always inspires the younger generation. This tournament is a great opportunity for our Indian players," TTFI Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta stated in a press release.
"We, at TTFI, extend full support to Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis to make the second edition a grand success,” the former Indian international star player added.
The tournament boasts a massive prize pool of $250,000 and allows players to win ranking points and qualify for the WTT Cup Finals and WTT Champions Series. China’s Liang Jingkun and Wang Yidi clinched the men’s and women’s singles titles, respectively, in the first edition of the tournament.
Why UTT and Stupa have joined hands for WTT Star Contender Goa?
Stupa is a performance-based analytics venture with data-driven technology and provides AR-based real time graphics. The UTT and Stupa's partnership is to enhance the heights of WTT Star Contender into an exterior event in India.
“The first edition of WTT Star Contender Goa was a great success. Table tennis is still at a nascent stage in India and tournaments like this not only show sport’s potential commercially but also encourage its overall growth,” Stupa Sports Analytics CEO and Co-founder Megha Gambhir commented.
UTT co-promoter Vita Dani said the collaboration will bring all the passionate fans and players of the game together.
“This collaboration signifies a commitment to fostering international camaraderie in table tennis and encouraging the passionate community of players and fans to unite in India like never before. The WTT Star Contender Goa is poised to be a global showcase of talent, skill, and competition,” she stated in a release.
The high-profile tournament is part of the six-star Contender series events where only the top 30 players (in various categories) are eligible to feature, with six players compulsory from the top 20 in the world rankings.
