First Edition of ‘Saudi Smash’ Championship 2024 Concludes

The Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship, "Saudi Smash", was organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT) (File photo by SPA)
The Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship, "Saudi Smash", was organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT) (File photo by SPA)
TT

First Edition of ‘Saudi Smash’ Championship 2024 Concludes

The Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship, "Saudi Smash", was organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT) (File photo by SPA)
The Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship, "Saudi Smash", was organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT) (File photo by SPA)

The Grand Smash 2024 World Table Tennis Championship, "Saudi Smash", which was organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation, supervised by the Ministry of Sport, in cooperation with the World Table Tennis Organization (WTT), concluded at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
Assistant Minister of Sports for Sports Affairs Adwaa Al-Arifi crowned the Chinese player Wang Chuqin, ranked first in the world, with the men’s singles title, after defeating Patrick Franziska of Germany, ranked 16th in the world, with a score of 4-2. Wang now holds the distinction of being the first player to achieve three titles in the same tournament, SPA reported.
Chinese player Meng Chen, ranked fourth in the world, also secured victory in the women's singles title, after defeating the top-ranked player in the world, Yingsha Sun, with a score of 4-2. Meng Chen was presented with the championship cup by WTT Board Member Khalil Al-Muhannadi. Chen solidified her position in the world rankings, moving up from the runner-up position.
“Saudi Smash” is part of Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to promote the concept of sporting excellence and encourage a healthy lifestyle among citizens, while also showcasing the Kingdom’s capabilities in hosting major sporting events.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.