عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Kingdom to Host 'Saudi Smash' World Table Tennis Championship in May

The event will take place May 1-11 in Jeddah
The event will take place May 1-11 in Jeddah
TT
TT

Kingdom to Host 'Saudi Smash' World Table Tennis Championship in May

The event will take place May 1-11 in Jeddah
The event will take place May 1-11 in Jeddah

The Kingdom will host the Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship for the first time under the theme "Saudi Smash."

The event will take place May 1-11 in Jeddah and will feature the participation of elite international players in singles and doubles competitions for men and women, as well as mixed doubles.

Under the supervision of the Ministry of Sport, the Saudi Table Tennis Federation will organize the tournament in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).

The Minister of Sport and the Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal, stated that this new global sporting event will join the other major tournaments hosted by the Kingdom.

The tournament will be held in two stages. The first stage is the qualifying stage, which will take place May 1-3 and will feature 64 players, including players representing the Kingdom. Eight players will advance to the second stage, or the final rounds, beginning May 4.

The final rounds will include the eight players finalists from the qualifying stage plus 56 players in advanced levels of the global player classification table. This brings the total number of players in the final stage to 64, who will compete in the knockout rounds towards reaching the titles in five competitions for men (singles and doubles), women (singles and doubles), and a mixed doubles tournament.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Government: Soccer-related Arrests Have Risen in England

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
TT
TT

Government: Soccer-related Arrests Have Risen in England

Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo
Soccer Football - Euro 2020 - Group D - General view of Wembley Stadium ahead of the England v Croatia match - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - June 12, 2021 REUTERS/Carl Recine/File Photo

Soccer-related arrests are the on rise in England and Wales, the UK government said on Thursday. The highest number of cases were recorded at West Ham matches for the third year in a row, The Associated Press reported.
There were 2,584 football-related arrests in the 2023-24 season — a 14% increase on the previous year, figures released by the Home Office showed.
The government said the rise was driven by arrests relating to the possession of class A drugs and this year's European Championship in Germany.
The rate of arrests over the season was 5.5 per 100,000 fans attending matches in the top six levels of men’s English soccer, the Welsh league and the top two levels of women's soccer. Statistics also covered matches involving the England and Wales national teams, the Champions League final staged at Wembley Stadium, and age group matches.
“It is important that these figures are put into context. Last season around 47 million people attended men’s domestic and international matches, the highest number we have on record, and the vast majority of football fans are law-abiding citizens who want to support their team," said chief constable Mark Roberts, who is the lead for soccer policing in the UK. “However, there are a small number of fans who commit offences, and we will continue to work closely with (prosecutors) and our other partners to ensure that those responsible are held accountable."
According to the figures, there were no arrests at women's matches, despite their growing popularity and increased attendances.
Figures showed 281 arrests related to Euro 2024.
The club with the highest number of arrests was West Ham, with 103. Manchester City and Manchester United were joint second with 88. Arsenal was fourth (85) and Chelsea sixth (67).
West Ham also had the highest number of banning orders (93), with Man United second (89). Second-tier Millwall was third with 82 banning orders.
A banning order can last from three to 10 years and can be issued by courts for reasons such as a conviction for a soccer-related offense.
There were 825 new banning orders, the highest number since 2010-11.
The most common type of arrest was for public disorder, which made up 43% of cases, with violent disorder making up 19%. Possession of class A drugs accounted for 13%.
The throwing of missiles was the most commonly reported incident, at 416 matches, with pyrotechnics reported at 394 matches.
There were reports of hate crime incidents in 341 matches, which related to issues including race (226) and sexual orientation (113).
There were 423 incidents of online hate crime.