The sweet pong of sporting success

The event attracted enthusiasts of the game from the ages of a few years to more than sixty. They fought it out in three categories: juniors (up to 15 years of age), adults and doubles. The social interaction and sport meeting, which this time took place in the sports and recreation centre at ul. Siennicka 40 in the city’s Praga-Południe district, brought together entire families. As well as the sixteen tables, a climbing wall with a professional instructor was also provided, as well as a snacks and drinks bar. “I’m very happy to see some of the faces from when the event was held in previous years. I’m also happy that many new players are taking part in the tournament, including parents with children. Another great time is guaranteed, in which we can all get to know each other better and for people working in the sector to integrate with each other,” announced CMT board member Ferdinand Baggeroer at the opening of the event.

On the Saturday morning of the event, the tournament unfolded in a friendly, sporting atmosphere, as was reflected in the number of doubles partnerships that were formed on the spot by those entering the competition at the last moment. The elimination round generated some extraordinary excitement – and this feeling actually built in intensity with each stage of the tournament. Before the final matches, just so the players and spectators could catch their breath, a show match took place between first-league table tennis club players Marcin Sankowski and Paweł Chmiel, who demonstrated that a ball could in fact be hit (and with a great deal of accuracy) using a frying pan or a smartphone. After this, it was time for the finals, which proved to be electrifying for all the spectators. In the adult category, Marcin Dudziec eventually overcame Adam Kostecki in a fierce contest, with Grzegorz Jatkiewicz coming third. In the junior category, the champion was Gabriel Balla, with Kacper Dutkiewicz as the runner-up and Maja Kozłowska in third place. Some of the finalists in the individual events also appeared in the finals of the doubles: the best pair was Marcin Dudziec and Artur Kietliński, defeating Marcin Gałązka and Rafał Pierzchałka in the final, while Beata Nosarzewska/Grzegorz Jatkiewicz took third spot. Each of these winners was presented with statuettes and other prizes.

Another pleasing fact was that the number of those taking part was almost double that of last year’s tournament, while the support provided by the fans present was also impressive. This firmly puts to bed any notions that table tennis is an inferior sport or not as popular as it used to be. Interestingly, many of those who took part this time have already agreed to turn up at the next tournament in a year’s time. So we hope to see you all there! ν