04 Jul 2018
Doha, 4 July 2018. On Wednesday, Aspire Academy welcomed a high-ranking delegation from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that included ITTF President Thomas Weikert, ITTV Deputy President Khalil Al-Mohannadi and ITTF CEO Steve Dainton. After a meeting with Aspire Academy’s Director of Sport and Strategy, Markus Egger, and Deputy Director Sports, Dr. Hazem F. Anabtawi, to discuss possible ways of cooperating, they were taken on a guided tour through the Academy facilities.
“I had heard a lot about Aspire Academy in the past and I am very impressed with what I saw here. You have great facilities and with Peter Karlsson a coach, who knows how to develop world class players. Good coaches and sparring partners from different countries and cultures are the key to become successful in this sport and Aspire provides a great set-up for the young Qatari players,” said ITTF President Thomas Weikert.
Weikert has been following the good results of Qatari players on Under-20 level and is positive to see also strong performances of them on senior level. According to him, getting experiences abroad like Aspire graduate Mohamed Abdulwahhab is currently doing by training in Denmark is a good way to get to the next level. “If you want to develop as a player I think that Europe and Asia are currently the places to go. In countries such as Sweden, Denmark and also Germany you have great practice facilities and the opportunity to compete against outstanding players. Training half in Doha and half in Europe is definitely a good combination.”