Ball in mall for table tennis aspirants of Tamil Nadu

The theory behind the Table Tennis Super League, the second season of which concluded at VR Mall on Sunday, is simple.
Mighty Warriors, TTSL season 2 winners, with A Sharath Kamal at VR Mall on Sunday
Mighty Warriors, TTSL season 2 winners, with A Sharath Kamal at VR Mall on Sunday

CHENNAI: It’s not something you’d expect to see walking into a mall. A small crowd in the atrium around barricades and makeshift lights, people looking on from everywhere, leaning against the railings on various floors, from escalators moving up and down. The centre of attention is a table and two people playing a game of pinging a small ball around it.

The theory behind the Table Tennis Super League, the second season of which concluded at VR Mall on Sunday, is simple. If you can’t bring the crowd to the sport, take the sport to them. A similar experiment has been successful in squash with malls across the world hosting high-profile events. “In sports like this, nobody except the players and their parents will come to the stadium and watch. This is true even for the nationals,” says Sameer Bharat, the league’s CEO. “We are taking the game to where people are. Many walked into this place, saw the game and then stood and watched.”

The TTSL features some of the top state players with eight teams bidding for them. Money is minuscule compared to other leagues. The highest came to around Rs 60,000. But Sameer maintains it means a lot to them. “I had a parent thanking me because the Rs 25,000 that the player managed was enough to procure new equipment.”

The league featured high-profile guests over the two days. Eight-time national champion A Sharath Kamal witnessed the action on Sunday. “If these platforms were there when I was starting out, maybe I wouldn’t have had to go out and play,” he said.

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The New Indian Express
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