WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025, 12/10-14

[zeio]

Original thread title: WTT Series Hong Kong 2025/2026

https://worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?eventId=3112

GS?
F?
CS?
SCT/CT?

FEE

HKTTA president Tony Yue Kwok Leung expressed his interests in hosting a SCT/CT as early as 2026 due to the National Games in 11/2025 in an interview during World Cup 2024 in April, but then Dainton said in an interview during WTT CS Macao 2024 in September that either a WTT CS or WTT F was in talks for 2025, and Tony said he preferred a WTT CS. After seeing the 2025 calendar (1, 2), 2026 seems more likely as Tony originally planned.

2024/9/16
Exclusive | Hong Kong to host elite table tennis event featuring world’s best next year, WTT head says
https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kon...featuring-worlds-best-next-year-says-wtt-head

Hong Kong will host the world’s best table tennis players in a top-flight tournament next year, the head of the sport’s governing body has told the Post.

In an exclusive interview during the WTT Champions event in Macau on Sunday, Steve Dainton said his organisation wanted to be among the first to put on an event at Kai Tak Sports Park, which is expected to open in early 2025.

Dainton, the CEO of World Table Tennis, said they were in talks with local officials about staging either a champions-level tournament, or the season-ending finals at a venue he called “perfect for being able to host a major WTT event”.

The Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Dainton said, “wasn’t quite big enough for what we wanted” while the Coliseum “wasn’t too bad but didn’t have a lot of auxiliary parts”.

This year’s finals will be held in Fukuoka, Japan, after previous editions in Singapore, China and Qatar. Although the event features the “best of the best”, Tony Yue Kwok-leung, president of the Hong Kong China Table Tennis Association, said the local governing body’s preference was to host a champions event.

“We would welcome either event with open arms, but the top 32 players’ pool at the champions event would mean our players have better chances of making the cut,” he said. “On the other hand, the [season-ending] finals are limited to the top 16 singles players and the top eight pairs.

2024/4/17
乒乓世界盃直擊｜帶隊到澳門取經 余國樑證港擬申辦WTT世界賽
https://www.sportsroad.hk/archives/474448/乒乓世界盃直擊｜帶隊到澳門取經-余國樑證港擬申/

港隊2月到韓國釜山參加世乒團體賽時，已派出多位職員到當地，今次一行約10人來到可容納16,000人的銀河綜藝館，余國樑承認是來觀摩一下其他地方主辦大賽的情況。余國樑承認，香港在疫情結束後一直都想主辦國際大賽：「一直想搞的，現在的球迷很喜歡看乒乓球，我們成績都算不錯啦，是不是？世界賽的時候在韓國拿團體獎牌，真的開心到不得了。混雙都很厲害，他們都在歐洲拿過冠軍，奧運又出線了，朱成竹也是愈來愈成熟。」

...

余國樑指出，現時香港的場地都達不到WTT門檻，因此已視啟德體育園的落成為新契機：「WTT就是不批你，QE（灣仔伊利沙伯體育館）太小了，沒有可能，而且又做不到比賽時的燈光要求，QE一關燈就全關了，不能只是中間的比賽場地有光射著，至於紅館（香港體育館）亦不夠地方做練習場館。等到體育園新的球館OK了，便再入紙申請主辦成人級別大賽，到時候再帶他們（WTT）的職員過來看看。」

WTT成立後，設有不同等級賽事，由低至高是支線賽（Feeder）、挑戰賽（Contender）、明星挑戰賽（Star Contender）、冠軍賽（Champion）、 世界盃（Cup Final ）及大滿貫（Grand Smash）。余國樑認為香港主辦的賽事，一定要在各方面取得平衡：「我想都是最好有些球星會來，但最重要的就是我們運動員能夠出賽。每一次辦比賽，我都希望香港運動員能夠參與。如果我辦一個Smash，但是只有一個香港運動員參加，那我情願去人家的地方打好了。對我來說，看球星就是為了滿足觀眾，我真真正正的目的是多方面，除了一個好看、有國家隊或者其他隊的球星能夠來到，我都希望我們的運動員能夠多參與一些，令香港人現場看到我們自己的運動員，這個是我們的目的。」

余國樑續說：「所以，Contender或者Star Contender的那個Level是最好的，就是錢（籌辦經費）又不是說最多，但是有些球星都會來。」主辦明星挑戰賽的其中一個條件，就是總獎金要達到20至30萬美元。「賽事成本暫時很難計算出來，不過相信『M品牌』是幫到手的，當然現時亞洲也不多地方有實力主辦到WTT賽事，我們也要配合到外國的比賽時間表，讓球星都可以來，要找一個最適合的時間點。」他構思中也想效法七欖及三人籃球，在賽事中加入具香港特色元素。由於明年11月便是全運，他預計最快都要2026年才能成事。

乒乓球｜乒總主席余國樑靜極思動 籌備2026年香港主辦國際賽
https://www.stheadline.com/realtime-sport/3336142/乒乓球乒總主席余國樑靜極思動-籌備2026年香港主辦國際賽

香港可望於2026年再次舉辦世界排名乒乓球賽，中國香港乒總主席余國樑（Tony）表示，隨著啟德體育園於明年初開始使用，他將會向國際兵聯（ITTF）申辦「挑戰賽」級別的比賽，總獎金最高約230萬港元。他亦計劃參照香港國際七人欖球賽，可以集娛樂、比賽於一身，配合1萬人場館的體育園，炮製「與眾不同」、有香港特色的賽事。

余國樑連日來都在澳門觀看ITTF乒球世界盃，身處可容納16,000人的澳門銀河綜藝館，他邊欣賞場館的配套邊無奈說：「在疫情緩和後已開始想再辦世界乒球排名賽，但沒有場館可以去Bid（申辦），伊館同紅館都未合新賽制的場館規格，我們已在跟體育園密切聯繫，若場館OK，我一定會去Bid一個世界排名賽。」

...

余國樑指出，灣仔伊館的燈光配套難做到比賽光暗度的要求，而紅館又不夠地方設置訓練場：「ITTF都想來香港視察場館，但我沒有合適的館可以給他們看。」

...

余國樑透露，他意屬申辦「WTT系列賽」中的「常規挑戰賽」或「球星挑戰賽」，既有球星參與，香港球手亦夠世界排名積分參加，這才能滿足球迷及推廣本地乒乓。

他表示：「我不要只顧著請球星來比賽，一定要有香港球手參與比賽才有意義，所以不會考慮太高級別的比賽（如WTT大滿貫或冠軍賽），但亦不想辦較低級別的『支線賽』，因會缺乏高排名的球星，所以『挑戰賽』較適合，可以平衡到所需，既有高排名選手，亦有本地球手參與。」

 

[zeio]

To be held at the brand-new Kai Tak Sports Park, specifically, the Indoor Sports Centre.

Kai Tak Sports Park (6 mins)
https://youtu.be/SqmNAyIycj8?t=151
啟德體育園(6分鐘)(粵語)
https://youtu.be/dMKEs0q5dsE?t=119

Inside Hong Kong's $3.9BN New Mega Stadium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8hlPGmACF8

This Was The World's Most Terrifying Airport
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwhUKp1esSQ

How walkable is Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Stadium?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqxdsfQr_ok

TVB News｜27 October 2024│First operation test of new Kai Tak sporting facilities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2GBmQltIek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaSHmbwW7y0
香港無綫｜港澳新聞｜2024年10月27日｜【啟德體育園首場測試賽】不少人滿意青年運動場設施 下月將舉辦欖球賽｜【啟德體育園首場測試賽】園區與宋皇臺站較近 當局倡觀賽市民搭港鐵前往｜TVB News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wILCuDKE2UM

🇸🇬 🇭🇰 Singapore Sports Hub: How Singapore fails and what Hong Kong could learn from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XcRVhVI5nQ

 

[zeio]

Placeholder 2.

 

[zeio]

Placeholder 3.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Hong kong first need to sort out the youth series to be better.
super small hall (2 years in a row), probably smallest venue of all WTT youth contender events in WTT history.

 

[zeio]

Clearly didn't even read the quotes, let alone the articles. See post #2 for more. The new venue can host even the FIFA World Cup.

【Friday Beyond Spotlights II】Kenneth Fok: Hong Kong sets sights on mega sports events
https://youtu.be/TMYPqd-lDzI?t=570

 

[zeio]

Steve Dainton - Business of Sport
2024-09-19
Steve Dainton, CEO of World Table Tennis joins us for our regular Business of Sport segment, taking a look at what’s happening in the world of table tennis to grow the sport.
https://podcast.rthk.hk/podcast/item.php?pid=2355&eid=246225&lang=en-US

(@5:17) In Hong Kong, for example, we are currently in good and deep discussions with our friends over there in Hong Kong and we are very hopeful to bring a major event there starting 2025 as well.

(@6:30) Talking about growth of the business, we've seen, since last year to this year, we've seen a 52% growth in terms of our revenues, which we are able then to put back into the sport.

(@6:43) In terms of job creation, We started in 2021. We had just a handful of staff with us working at World Table Tennis. We are well over 50 staff now.

(@8:42) So it's exciting to know that our Grand Smashes has huge interests at the moment and our Champions events as well have huge interests from all different parts of the world. I talked about Hong Kong but we are also in very good... in close discussion with countries like USA, India, other parts of South East Asia, and even you know probably less, from a traditional point of view, big table tennis markets, also the South Americas and Africa as well.

 

[zeio]

Paris Olympics MS gold medalist and Super Career Grand Slam FZD, DHK, Zhu Chengzhu, and Chan Ho Wah Baldwin will attend the grand opening ceremony of Kai Tak Sports Park.

啟德體育園3·1開幕禮　江旻憓樊振東林丹等做嘉賓
https://youtu.be/_M70wMdlclQ?t=31

Kai Tak, Where Dreams Tak Flight 啟德再起飛
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azNXkPGbV-c

 

[zeio]

1992 on board video landing Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport
https://youtu.be/I3Sc00b09uQ?t=133

The Densest City on Earth
https://youtu.be/4YuNvIfM-YA?t=470

Kowloon Walled City Documentary (English Subtitles)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-rj8m7Ssow

---

TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN | Official US Trailer | Louis Koo | Raymond Lam | Terrance Lau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kBU6Rff26A

再現「九龍城」で死闘 大ヒット香港映画 監督直撃(2025年3月2日)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz43gjlnGPE

 

[zeio]

即睇《啟德體育園開幕典禮》！見證精彩揭幕時刻🎉
https://youtu.be/dinNB1_xNJc?t=3794

啟德體育園開幕典禮
https://youtu.be/pYjIFmyocvk?t=4406

啟德體育園開幕典禮｜直播｜TVB Facebook YouTube 晚上9點15分同步轉播｜啟德體育園
https://youtu.be/d6qCXn20bio?t=5278

 

[zeio]

（有片）劉國梁：今年的總決賽可能在香港辦 ((With video) Liu Guoliang: This year's finals may be held in Hong Kong)
https://www.tkww.hk/a/202503/05/AP67c82749e4b04111a4acb595.html

https://weibo.com/7360795486/PhaVRvt4u
草莓牛奶特别甜
1小时前
来自 微博视频号
中国乒协主席刘国梁接受记者采访时表示：非常期待新的体育场能够举办乒乓球的比赛，我们也一直在看一直在关注，而且香港的乒乓球发展得也是非常好，包括今年的总决赛也有可能会在香港
(https://weibo.com/7360795486/PhaVRvt4u
草莓牛奶特别甜
1小时前
来自 微博视频号
中国乒协主席刘国梁接受记者采访时表示：非常期待新的体育场能够举办乒乓球的比赛，我们也一直在看一直在关注，而且香港的乒乓球发展得也是非常好，包括今年的总决赛也有可能会在香港
Liu Guoliang, President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said in an interview with reporters: We are very much looking forward to the new stadium being able to host table tennis matches. We have been watching and paying attention to it. In addition, table tennis in Hong Kong is also developing very well. This year's finals may also be held in Hong Kong)

'Let's bring key international events to Kai Tak'
https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1794723-20250307.htm

Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association and also a CPPCC member, highlighted Hong Kong's strong performance in table tennis over the past year.

Liu, who also chairs the World Table Tennis (WTT) Board, said the SAR may play host to the WTT finals this year.

"I'm really looking forward to having table tennis competitions at this new sports venue and have been following its development closely. Hong Kong's table tennis development has been excellent with widespread participation. This year's WTT finals may also be held in Hong Kong," he said.

 

[zeio]

Hong Kong Coliseum is larger than Queen Elizabeth Stadium but still old. It looks to me Tony of HKTTA still wants to hold WTT CS in the new Kai Tak Sports Park and the WTT Finals is going to test the water.

Developing | Hong Kong announced as host of table tennis’ WTT Finals
https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3307289/hong-kong-host-table-tennis-wtt-finals-december

Hong Kong has been chosen as the host of table tennis’ season-ending WTT Finals, the sport’s chiefs announced on Monday.

The event, in which the highest-ranked players will compete for a prize pool of US$1.3 million, will take place at Hong Kong Coliseum from December 10 to 14.

“Hong Kong is a city that understands the power of big moments,” said Steve Dainton, CEO of World Table Tennis (WTT).

“It has the atmosphere, the infrastructure and the passion to deliver world-class sporting experiences.

“We’re excited to bring WTT Finals here, and we see great potential for Hong Kong to be a strategic host for WTT’s most iconic events moving forward.”

WTT said that Hong Kong’s “global reputation as one of Asia’s sporting hubs, combined with its deep-rooted connection to table tennis, made it a natural choice for an event of this calibre”.

One City To Rule The Finals: Hong Kong Named Home Of WTT's Ultimate Showdown
https://worldtabletennis.com/description?artId=4856

Tony Yue, Chairman of the Hong Kong, China Table Tennis Association (HKTTA), shared his enthusiasm about the long-term partnership.

“We are honoured to welcome WTT Finals to Hong Kong and proud that our city will serve as a home to the most iconic WTT events from 2025 onwards,” said Yue. “This is a major step for our community and for the sport in our region. Hosting WTT Finals will not only bring top-level action to our fans, but also inspire a new generation of players and supporters. We look forward to working closely with WTT to deliver a world-class experience both on and off the table.”

中國香港乒乓總會宣佈將主辦WTT大型賽事，以2025 WTT總決賽為起點，將國際最高水平的乒乓球賽事帶到香港 (Hong Kong, China Table Tennis Association announced that it will host large-scale WTT events, starting with the WTT Finals 2025, to bring the highest level of international table tennis events to Hong Kong)
https://www.hktta.org.hk/cgi-bin/display/news.cgi?news=4479

Hong Kong, China To Host WTT Finals 2025
https://www.ittf.com/2025/04/22/hong-kong-china-to-host-wtt-finals-2025/

Table tennis bosses sign 3-year deal to bring world-class tournaments to Hong Kong
Head of game’s governing body in city says agreement will bring big tournaments in 2026 and 2027, after WTT Finals this December
https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kon...-deal-bring-world-class-tournaments-hong-kong

Table tennis fans in Hong Kong will be able to watch world-class players in action in the city for the next couple of years, the Post has learned.

Already preparing for the WTT Finals in December, the head of the local association said a multi-year deal had been struck with World Table Tennis (WTT) for the city to host more senior events in 2026 and 2027.

But Tony Yue Kwok-leung, president of the Hong Kong, China Table Tennis Association, cautioned that while Hong Kong had a three-year deal, tournaments “may not always be the Finals”.

“But it will not be just some random tournaments, either,” Yue added. “Hong Kong fans are not easily satisfied and always want the best tournaments.

“I want to bring major events back to Hong Kong, too, so we aim to host at least the WTT Champions Series, if not the Finals.”

There was little chance of grand smash events being staged in the city, however, with Yue saying the WTT wanted to start “building the atmosphere” in places that already had those tournaments, such as Singapore and Beijing.