2003 World Table Tennis Championships

The 48th World Table Tennis Championship was held until 25 May 2003 in Paris -Bercy (France) on 19 May. For the first time only individual competitions were conducted. Approximately 90,000 spectators attended the Palais Omnisports for almost Chinese standards, which the number of audience was concerned.

Survey

For the first time since 1997, won a gold medal with the Austrian Werner Schlager a non-Chinese players. Schlager defeated in the quarterfinals defending champion Wang Liqin (China) to 2:3 - and 6:10 deficit to 4-3 in the semifinals of the highly traded Olympic champion in Sydney 2000, Kong Linghui with 14:12 in the seventh set, before he in the final against the surprisingly been initiated into the final, aggressively defending Korean Joo Se - hyuk won with 4:2.

The competitions in men's doubles, women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles were dominated by the Chinese players and players. Only Korea showed up with two third places in the women's and men's doubles, that it had not acted to Chinese Championships. For Germany this World Cup was not successful. Latest in the third round all German players and players were eliminated.

There were many surprising results. Thus came the Korean Joo Se - hyuk the number 61 in the world ranking the final of the Men's Single Page, who is also still defender. Even retired two-time world champion Jan- Ove Waldner, who was injured in the run long, already in the first round against the Greeks Constantine Papageorgiou, place 372 in the world rankings, from.

Ahead of the World Cup had to be clarified whether the France players from China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada entry allowed against the background that in these countries at this time the SARS epidemic was acute. Finally, the French Minister of Health of entry agreed.

Cutting off the Germans

Men's Singles

Timo Boll initially defeated Jin Ju (Dominican Republic), but failed in the second round with 2:4 Qiu Yike in (China). Just as far as it brought Jörg Rosskopf after a victory over the Belgian Marc Closset and he following it defeat against Slobodan Grujic (Serbia - Montenegro). Torben Wosik also retired on lap 2. he won against Mads Sorensen (Denmark) and lost to Toshio Tasaki (Japan).

The third round reached two German players. Lars Hielscher sat down opposite Marsi Marton (Hungary) and the former European champion Zoran Primorac (Croatia ) by. Against the Austrian defender Chen Weixing he lost with 3:4.

Zoltan Fejer - Konnerth won against Geir Erlandsen ( Norway) and the Waldner -slayer Constantine Papageorgiou (Greece). After that, the Taiwanese Chuang Chih -Yuan took care of the corner.

Bastian Steger already retired on the first round against Leung Chu Yan ( Hong Kong).

Women's Singles

The ladies came does not go beyond the third round.

Jie Schoepp won against Huang Yi - Hua (Taiwan) and Lily Yip Hugh (USA), before it was defeated by Guo Yue (China). Just far came Nicole Struse by beating Wang Yu (Italy) and Silvija Erdelji (Serbia ) and the following defeat against Zhang Yining (China). Elke Wosik Also survived by victories over Carole Grundisch (France) and Li Nan (China) two rounds. After she failed to Gao Jun ( USA).

Tanja Hain- Hofmann came without a fight in round 2, where she was eliminated against Wiktoryja Paulitch ( Belarus ). Laura Stumper won against Fabiola Isabel Ramos Portiillo (Venezuela ) and lost to Guo Yan (China).

Men's doubles

All three double survived the first round. The most Boll / Fejer - Konnerth, the first against Martin Bratanov / Damien Delobbe (Belgium) and Adrian Crisan / Vasile Florea came (Romania ) won. In the second round they dropped out against the Chinese player Wang Liqin / Yan Sen. For Roßkopf / Hielscher came after defeating Robert Gardos / Presslmayer ( Austria ) from the in round two, where they lost to the Koreans Oh Sang-eun/Kim Taek -soo. Wosik / Steger prevailed against Maksim Shmyryev / Sergei Andrianov (Russia). Then they lost to Werner Schlager / Karl Jindrak ( Austria ).

Women Doubles

Both German double survived the first round and then dropped out.

Struse / Wosik documents after their victory over Alena Vachovcova / Katerina Penkakova (Czech Republic) the Russians Svetlana Ganina / Irina Palina. Hain-Hofmann/Stumper won against Gordana Plavsic / Biljana Golic (Yugoslavia) and lost to Li Jia Wei / June Jing Hong ( Singapore).

Mixed

For Steger / Stumper already in round one last stop was because they lost to Hou Yinghao / Fan Ying (China). The couple Wosik / Wosik survived the first two rounds against the Japanese Seiya Kishikawa / Ai Fukuhara and the Koreans Yoon Yae Young / Jun Hye Kyung, but after that of Liu Guozheng / Bai Yang (China) was stopped in the second round. Hielscher / Hain- Hofmann prevailed against Panagiotis Gionis / Maria Mirou (Greece ), but not against Ryu Seung-min/Suk Eun -mi (Korea ).

ITTF decisions

The ITTF Congress (Annual General Meeting) dealt with the following applications of the members:

  • Change in the service rule: When serving, the player must immediately pull to the side of the free arm when the ball has left the hand of the server shall. The application of the DTTB and the Chinese Table Tennis Association, the ball shall be thrown up above head height or at least 50 cm high, was rejected.
  • The hosting of the 2006 World Cup was awarded to Bremen. Serbia and Montenegro withdrew his application.
  • The TT - China Association had planned a request in advance to play a set back to 21. China then refrained, however, on this request.

The ITTF Advisory Board, Board of Directors, changed the mode for the World Team Championships. In future, the participating teams will be divided into 5 divisions, which compete in the first four divisions each twelve teams into two groups of six against each other. In the fifth division play the remaining teams. Only the teams from the first division to be world champion. The top eight teams from the previous World Cup are directly qualified for the first division. The remaining four places will be allocated on the basis of world ranking placement of the top three players of a nation.

Find out more

  • The player Hani Al- Hammadi (Yemen) and S Nabeel Al- Magahwi (Saudi Arabia) were disqualified from the ITTF for the rest of 2003 because they do not competed against the Israeli Gay Elenski.
  • Because of a controversial refereeing decision in a double competition between Cheung Yuk / Leung Chu Yan ( Hong Kong) and Kim Taek-soo/Oh Sang -eun (South Korea) caused a riot. Then the game was canceled, the two players were disqualified from Hong Kong.
  • Philately: The French postal service used a special with Date 19 May 2003 in Paris. In the People's Republic of China special tribute in Nanjing (南京市); and Handan (邯郸 市: Handan shì ) for these World Championships. In Austria appeared on 25 September 2003 a postage stamp in honor of the Table Tennis World Champion Werner Schlager 2003 ( Michel catalog No 2446 ) with a circulation of 700,000 shares to 0.55 euros. There was a first-day stamp in 1150 Vienna and a special on 26 September 2003 in 2320 Schwechat.

Results

776718
de