The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced the newest addition to its calendar the ITTF Legends Tour. The ITTF Legends Tour will give table tennis fans across the globe another opportunity to watch the greats battle it out once more on th
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced the newest addition to its calendar the ITTF Legends Tour. The ITTF Legends Tour will give table tennis fans across the globe another opportunity to watch the greats battle it out once more on the world stage.
Signed up for the historic tour are the best of the best: Swedenโs Olympic Champion Jan-Ove WALDNER compatriots Jรถrgen PERSSON and Mikael APPELGREN Chinaโs JIANG Jialiang Belgiumโs Jean-Michel SAIVE and Frenchman Jean-Philippe GATIEN.
The first stop of the newly founded ITTF Legends Tour will be Jemeppe-sur-Meuse a region of the Belgian city of Seraing situated in province of Liรจge on Wednesday 7th May 2014.
โThe reaction to the Legends Tour has been outstanding much higher than I expectedโ said a delighted Philippe SAIVE whose company Philippe Saive Management is the visionary behind the tour. โ ย I anticipate that we will be sold out in Seraing. Now the task is to sell the Legends Tour worldwide; we need to find organisers and sponsors also we need to organise a schedule; arranging the schedule might well prove the most difficult task of all.โ
Former world number one Jean-Michel SAIVE who is remarkably still playing at the highest level at 44-years-old stated: โThis event is going to be very popular in the table tennis world. There will be one Olympic Champion four World Champions five former world number ones and four European Champions so the history of our sport will be behind just one table. It will be magic.โ
Frenchman Jean-Philippe GATIEN who beat Jean-Michel SAIVE in the 1993 World Championship final added: โIโm very glad and honored to be part of the ITTF Legends Tour. I hope that the table tennis fans all over the word will as happy as I am to meet my old friends and opponents.โ
โExpect the unexpectedโ which is the mantra of Olympic Champion Jan-Ove Waldner will be surely be the theme of the ITTF Legends Tour so donโt miss out!
follow the ITTF Legends Facebook page:ย http://www.facebook.com/ittflegendstour.
Legendsโ short profilesย
Jan-Ove WALDNER:ย Olympic champion 1992 ย World champion 1989 1997 ย World cup 1990 ย European champion 1996 ย TOP 12 1984 1986 1988 1989 1993 1995 1996; World team champion 1989 1991 1993 2000; ย Olympic silver medalist 2000 Vice-world champion 1987 1991; Former world number 1
Jorgen PERSSON:ย World champion 1991 ย European champion 1996 ย TOP 12 1992 ย World vice- champion 19989 ย World vice- champion doubles 1997 ย Olympic semi-finalist 2000 2008. ย World team champion 1989 1991 1993 2000 Former world number 1.
Jean-Michel SAIVE:ย Vice-world champion 1993 ย European champion 1994 ย Top 12 1994 ย World vice- champion team 2001 ย World cup runner-up 1994. ย Former world number 1
JIANG Jialiang:ย World champion 1985 1987 ย Asian champion 1986 ย World Cup winner 1984 ย World champion team 1983 1985 1987 ย World vice-champion in doubles 1983 ย Former world number 1.
Jean-Philippe GATIEN:ย World champion 1993 ย World Cup 1994 ย Top 12 1997 ย Olympic silver medalist 1992 ย European champion doubles 2000 ย Olympic bronze medalist doubles 2000 ย European team champion 1994 1998 ย Former world number 1
Mikael APPELGREN:ย European champion 1982 1988 1990 ย World champion team 1989 1991 1993 ย World champion doubles 1985 ย Europe top 12 1982 1990 ย World cup 1983
