NEW DELHI: India’s top two paddlers A Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan have been selected to be part of the reserves for the upcoming ITTF World Cup and the ITTF Finals. The only caveat — both tournaments are scheduled to be held in China in November.
Currently, there is a lot of tension along the India-China border. Amid this backdrop, processing visas and getting the requisite permission to play there might prove to be a stumbling block. Both tournaments will signal the restart of international competitions and ranking points will also be on offer.
“Both are huge competitions and major points are on offer which would prove to be invaluable once the Olympic qualification season kicks. But getting visas processed might be difficult keeping in mind the entire India-China issue. Also, with the meets happening in China, health risks posed due to travel is also a worry,” Sharath said. Currently, no flights are scheduled between the two nations.
ITTF has spoken to both paddlers and the duo has given their consent for the tournament. Currently, all visa formalities are with international federation. They are yet to unveil the complete list of players, including reserves, for the meets. Even if both do not make the cut, they might still have to travel in case of an exigency.
There is also another storm brewing which might derail the ITTF’s plans which also include the women’s World Cup. The European and Japanese players have already signed up for their country’s respective leagues and with ITTF suddenly scheduling these events in the month of November, all of them are currently on a collision course.
This might result in numerous heavyweights pulling out. If rankings points are still not frozen, then players might create a furore.
“All these need to be solved by ITTF before this month as many players will be waiting for confirmation,” Sathiyan added.