Jeddah to Host Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship

The event is organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).
The event is organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).
TT

Jeddah to Host Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship

The event is organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).
The event is organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).

Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Governorate will host the Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship for the first time under the theme "Saudi Smash" from May 1 to 11, with the participation of a group of elite international players in the game.

The event is organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT).
The championship, hosted by the Kingdom for the first time, will consist of two phases. The first phase is the preparatory stage, scheduled from May 1 to 3. During this stage, 64 players, including Saudis, will compete to advance to the second stage, known as the finals, which begins on May 4. Only 8 players will progress to the finals. The eight players will then compete alongside 56 other world-class players in the elimination rounds to vie for titles in the five tournaments: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles.
The event reflects the significant development of the sports sector in Saudi Arabia, aligning with the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 to make the sports sector a direct contributor to the progress, prosperity, and development of the Kingdom across all fields.



Paralympic Triathlon Events Postponed Because of Poor Water Quality in Seine River

 View of the Seine river where the triathlon competition has been cancelled, during the 2024 Paralympics, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
View of the Seine river where the triathlon competition has been cancelled, during the 2024 Paralympics, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
TT

Paralympic Triathlon Events Postponed Because of Poor Water Quality in Seine River

 View of the Seine river where the triathlon competition has been cancelled, during the 2024 Paralympics, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
View of the Seine river where the triathlon competition has been cancelled, during the 2024 Paralympics, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

Paralympic triathlon competitions in Paris scheduled for Sunday have been postponed because of concerns about water quality in the Seine River after heavy rainfall, organizers said.

The 11 para triathlon events are now scheduled for Monday, if upcoming water testing allows, the Paris 2024 organizing committee and World Triathlon said in a joint statement.

Rainstorms hit the French capital Friday and Saturday. Heavy rains cause wastewater and runoff to flow into the river, leading to a rise in bacteria levels including E. Coli.

This is the second scheduled change for the para triathlon events. They had initially been scheduled to take place over two days, Sunday and Monday, but were moved to Sunday because of rain forecasts.

The disruption is another hiccup for the city’s efforts to clean up the river for future public swimming, one of Paris’ most ambitious promises ahead of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. The men's individual triathlon event during the Paris Olympics was delayed and several test swims were canceled because of high E. coli levels after rainfall.

Some Olympic triathletes fell ill after swimming in the Seine, though it is unclear whether that was linked to the river water.