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2006 IPC Table Tennis World Championships Begin Sunday, Sept. 24
// International Paralympic Committee
// September 20, 2006
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| Photo by Brian Bahr (Getty Images) |
Tahl Leibovitz will look to add to his medal collection at the 2006 IPC Table Tennis World Championships.
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BONN, Germany – The Montreux Congress Centre, on the shores of Lake Geneva in Montreux, Switzerland, will be hosting the 2006 IPC Table Tennis World Championships Sept. 24 - Oct. 1. Approximately 350 athletes from 50 countries are slated to compete at the event, with roughly 200 competing in wheelchairs (classes TT1 to TT5) and 150 athletes competing in the standing classes (TT6 to TT10).
The U.S. team, led by head coach and two-time Olympian Sean O'Neill (Portland, Ore.), will be Norm Bass (Inglewood, Calif.), Bob Bowlander (Waco, Ga.), Tahl Leibovitz (Ozone Park, N.Y.), Ed Levy (Portland, Ore.), Andre Scott (Fort Worth, Texas) and Mitch Seidenfeld (Lakeville, Minn.).
Around 400 volunteers will be making sure that the IPC Table Tennis World Championships are a success. Former Swiss President Adolf Ogi is the Honorary President of the Organizing Committee and will be present on several occasions during the event. The organizing committee has also received direct support from the well-known Swiss former Tennis star Jakob Hlasek.
ICI TV Switzerland has been appointed Host Broadcaster of the Championships and will provide a daily round-up of five to ten minutes per day (with graphics but without commentary) and four special magazines of 25 to 30 minutes, featuring the most important matches, background information and interviews (with graphics and commentary in French). Parties interested in receiving footage, being present on site or obtaining more information about broadcasting at the World Championships should contact the Organizing Committee Press Officer and TV Co-ordinator, Arjen Meijer, at presse@montreux2006.ch. Media wishing to be accredited for the event should also contact presse@montreux2006.ch.
The IPC’s Internet TV channel http://www.paralympicsport.tv/, will broadcast highlights from the IPC Table Tennis World Championships. More information will follow soon.
The IPC’s Official Photo Partner, Prezioso Photography, will also be onsite to cover the event. Media organizations and other persons interested in purchasing photos from Prezioso should contact Lina Prezioso at lina@prezioso.com.au.
Table Tennis has been included on the Paralympic Programme since the first Paralympic Games in 1960. Male and female athletes compete individually in class singles and in the TT1 – 5* and TT6 – 10 open events, as well as in team events. The governing body for Table Tennis is the IPC through the International Paralympic Table Tennis Technical Committee (IPTTTC). The rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) also apply to the Paralympic Table Tennis competitions with slight modifications for wheelchair athletes. The IPC Table Tennis World Championships are the premier competition in IPC Table Tennis outside the Paralympic Games.
For more information about the Championships, please visit the official website at www.montreux2006.ch.
*Additional information about athlete classification can be found at http://www.paralympic.org/.
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