Antibes Juan-les-Pins, with its reputation for sporting excellence, is the natural choice of venue for the 78th France Table Tennis Championship, a game commonly known as ping pong, that takes place from 29 to 31 May.
A spectacular Olympic sport, table tennis is popular both for recreation and as a competitive sport. Its growing popularity is seen in the rising number of permit-holders in the OAJLP table tennis section. It is no coincidence that the game is played in the National Federation of Championships of France, with some 128 players, men and women, 64 of them national champions.
Who will succeed Patrick Chila?
Present title holder and previous two-time winner Patrick Chila is to defend his title among a host of players, each more talented than the next. Players, trainers, medical teams, coaches and umpires count more than 300 people taking part in the championship, considered one of the best on an international level.
A club growing in popularity
Formed in 1965, the club now has more than one hundred permit-holders aged from 7 to 77 and includes a handisport section. With a great sense of sporting ambition, the OAJLP has pursued a policy of encouraging young players. This has seen very positive results with the hopes of many being realised by the emergence of an exceptional player, Homayou Kamba Parsi, who took part in the world championships in the Canadian selection. The club was also where Christophe Legout trained, number 3 in France today and who played in the pre-selection finals in Nantes for the Beijing Olympic Games from 2 to 6 April. The present first team, evolving into National 2 Men’s, has a good chance of finishing leader and will so move to National 1, the last step before turning professional.
Finally, OAJLP also organises the largest tournament of its kind every summer in the Jean Bunoz Centre in August..
Start of trials on Thursday 29 May in Jean Bunoz Centre to Saturday 31 May from 17.00
