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U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships Set for Las Vegas
// USA Table Tennis
// November 15, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. - The Event Organizing Committee supported by the USA Table Tennis Disabled Athletes Committee, the American Wheelchair Table Tennis Association, and U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, has announced that it will be hosting the 2006 U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships, Dec. 13-16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
Athletes from 21 countries, including the U.S., have signed up to compete. Since 1994, USA Table Tennis has hosted the U.S. Nationals for physically disabled athletes in Las Vegas (in conjunction with U.S. Closed National Championships) and, for the second straight year, the event will be an open international Paralympic tournament.
The officials for the tournament are Referee Karol Ziduliak (Canada), Deputy Referee Chris Williams (USA), Technical Delegate Leandro Olvech (Argentina), Organizing Chair and Manager Jennifer Johnson (USA), Tournament Directors David Del Vecchio and Sharon Frant Brooks (USA), and International Classifiers Dr. Norma Angelica Patino Marquez (Mexico) and Nardia Vaccaro (Argentina).
The official tournament equipment will be Butterfly tables, nets and 40mm Nittaku 3-star orange balls. A total of 18 tables, suitable for wheelchair and standing competition, will be used at the event. Play will be held on two surfaces – red rubberized floor for standing players and concrete for wheelchairs athletes.
The official tournament hotel is the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino of Las Vegas. Meals will be provided by the hotel. The City of Las Vegas Adaptive Recreation Division will provide the athletes with lunches for two of the days of competition. Transportation between the Stratosphere and the Las Vegas Convention Center will be via wheelchair-accessible shuttle buses.
In addition to the competition, two education programs will be held in conjunction with the tournament at the Sierra Room of the Stratosphere Hotel. Nardia Vaccaro, International Classifier from Argentina, will conduct a classification seminar on Monday, Dec. 11, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The following day, Karol Ziduliak of Canada will hold an IPTTC officials certification seminar starting at 8:00 p.m.
Members of the organizing committee are Jennifer Johnson, Chair, Sharon Frant Brooks and David Del Vecchio.
If you are interested in further information or would like to help out in any way, please contact USA Table Tennis at (719) 866-4583 or Jennifer Johnson at (203) 967-2231, (914) 879-5184 or via email at johnsonjennifer@yahoo.com.
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