OTTA to launch new TT season with more than 15 events

MUSCAT: The Oman Table Tennis Association (OTTA) is all set to launch the new domestic table tennis season after the Eid Al Fitr break with a packed calendar featuring more than 15 tournaments across different age categories. The upcoming season will cover all levels of players, including cadet, junior, youth and senior athletes as part of OTTA’s efforts to strengthen the local competition structure and support the development of national talents.

The season will begin with the Oman Cadet Championship for players under the age of 13, scheduled to take place from April 9 to 11. The event will focus on singles competition. This will be followed by the Oman Junior Championship for players under 16, which will be held from April 30 to May 2.

Young players under the age of 19 will then compete in the Oman Youth Championship from May 5 to 7. The singles competitions will conclude with the Oman Senior Championship from May 21 to 23. All these tournaments will take place at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, which will serve as the main venue for the national events.

Muscat will host the WTT Star Contender 2026 tournament in November.

TEAM EVENTS

The team competitions will begin during the summer months. The Oman Cadet Team Championship for domestic clubs will take place from July 16 to 18. This will be followed by the Oman Junior Team Championship from August 20 to 22. Then, the Oman Youth Team Championship is scheduled from September 17 to 19, while the team competitions will conclude with the Oman Senior Team Championship from October 8 to 11.

In a new step introduced this season, the OTTA board has launched a special assessment programme aimed at identifying the best players across all competitions. Under this initiative, the top eight players from each tournament will be invited to attend a special training camp under the supervision of the national coaching staff led by coach Omaid Shamas Sharbabki and assistant coach Adnan Fawakherji. The goal of these camps is to conduct final technical assessments and select players who will represent Oman in regional and international competitions.

Besides the local events, OTTA will host some major international tournaments this year. Earlier this year, Muscat successfully hosted a WTT event from January 19 to 24. The association is now preparing to stage the 30th Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship in Muscat from June 21 to 27. The prestigious continental event will bring together some of Asia’s most promising young table tennis players for a week of high-level competition.

Later in the year, Muscat will also host the WTT Star Contender 2026 tournament in November, following the successful inaugural edition of the event held last year.