Saudi Arabia To Become Newest WTT Grand Smash Host

[zeio]

https://worldtabletennis.com/description?artId=3423

The world’s best stars will compete for a prize pool of USD2,000,000, the largest ever seen at an officially sanctioned table tennis event. The Saudi Smash, like all WTT events, offers equal prize money, and the men’s and women’s singles champions will each walk away with a winner’s cheque of USD65,000 and receive 2000 ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings Points.

Singapore Smash 2021
Total Prize Money - USD $2,000,000
Winner - $125,000

Singapore Smash 2022 & 2023
Total Prize Money - USD $2,000,000
Winner - $100,000

Singapore Smash 2024
Total Prize Money - USD $2,000,000
Winner - $60,000
Saudi Smash 2024
Total Prize Money - USD $2,000,000
Winner - $65,000

 

[jammmail]

Lets be frank its only there because of money. Like football though there, even with Ronaldo and the like playing it will lack atmosphere and fans.
Great for the players prize money wise. Not so great for fans/building fanbase.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Lets be frank its only there because of money. Like football though there, even with Ronaldo and the like playing it will lack atmosphere and fans.
Great for the players prize money wise. Not so great for fans/building fanbase.

Imagine a world with 4 Smash a year
Tokyo
Paris
New York (or Vegas)
Dubai

 

[jammmail]

Change Paris to London 😉

But I agree - it should be in the biggest cities in the world - on each continent.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Change Paris to London 😉

But I agree - it should be in the biggest cities in the world - on each continent.

I first typed London, but then changed to Paris (I won't explain why, to remain peace haha)
I do feel London needs to host a big one. It is the birth place of table tennis after all.

 

[d3nium]

I was wondering how long it would take the Saudis to get into table tennis, It's good that they're investing in the sport, but the regime leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[d3nium]

On another subject, why doesn't China host any smashes?

 

[ttarc]

Change Paris to London 😉

But I agree - it should be in the biggest cities in the world - on each continent.

So neither Paris nor London
Europe it's either Moscow or Istanbul, Africa either Kinshasa or Lagos, Americas Sao Paulo, Asia Delhi, Australia Sydney or Melbourne

 

[PristineEagle]

The Middle East are staking a claim in one sport after another - golf, football, now table tennis. Maybe there are more that I cannot remember. Is the goal only monetary profit or are they hoping it to be sustainable and kindle an healthy interest in sport in general?

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

The Middle East are staking a claim in one sport after another - golf, football, now table tennis. Maybe there are more that I cannot remember. Is the goal only monetary profit or are they hoping it to be sustainable and kindle an healthy interest in sport in general?

Qatar (Doha) has been the more popular TT destination in the region for a long time.
If it can help the sports domestically, then at least it is something in the right direction.

However, I can also tell you that the Durban WTTC 2023 did nothing for the region, or what ever gain it got, is not proportional to the expense.

 

[d3nium]

The Middle East are staking a claim in one sport after another - golf, football, now table tennis. Maybe there are more that I cannot remember. Is the goal only monetary profit or are they hoping it to be sustainable and kindle an healthy interest in sport in general?

Boxing as well, they're getting into everything.

 

[\_Kairos_/]

The Middle East are staking a claim in one sport after another - golf, football, now table tennis. Maybe there are more that I cannot remember. Is the goal only monetary profit or are they hoping it to be sustainable and kindle an healthy interest in sport in general?

Don't be naiive. The reasons these countries are making efforts in that direction is for purely economic/monetary profit and political reasons (sports is just a tool in that sense!) and, of course, to get positive publicity, i.e. to whitewash their various crimes by trying to distract the people with entertainment of all sorts, including sports.
These countries (Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE etc.) are all dictatorships, like most of the countries in that region. They oppress their people and get rid of "annoying" individuals (see the Saudis and Kashoggi...or beheading teenagers for listening to a pop song). Russia under Putin falls into the same catagory, by the way. They essentially enslave people to built sports venues (Qatar); they simply buy foreign players/athletes (weight lifting, track and field) and even form an entire handball "team".
Oftentimes people don't want to talk about all that because it is too frustrating or for whatever lame reasons, but still these things happen all the time.
So do yourself a favour and don't think these countries want to do us a favour just because some sheik might have gotten a hard on when he saw Ma Long and Zhang Jike play tt. They are not interested in tt, chess, football/soccer, golf etc. - politics, trade deals and whitewashing their shenenigans/crimes are the driving force behind it.

 

[Shine]

Don't be naiive. The reasons these countries are making efforts in that direction is for purely economic/monetary profit and political reasons (sports is just a tool in that sense!) and, of course, to get positive publicity, i.e. to whitewash their various crimes by trying to distract the people with entertainment of all sorts, including sports.
These countries (Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE etc.) are all dictatorships, like most of the countries in that region. They oppress their people and get rid of "annoying" individuals (see the Saudis and Kashoggi...or beheading teenagers for listening to a pop song). Russia under Putin falls into the same catagory, by the way. They essentially enslave people to built sports venues (Qatar); they simply buy foreign players/athletes (weight lifting, track and field) and even form an entire handball "team".
Oftentimes people don't want to talk about all that because it is too frustrating or for whatever lame reasons, but still these things happen all the time.
So do yourself a favour and don't think these countries want to do us a favour just because some sheik might have gotten a hard on when he saw Ma Long and Zhang Jike play tt. They are not interested in tt, chess, football/soccer, golf etc. - politics, trade deals and whitewashing their shenenigans/crimes are the driving force behind it.

They don't oppress their people anymore than your government do yours, and their reasons for hosting the tournaments are the same reasons why any country hosts a tournament.