Goa in race to host Commonwealth TT

According to Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary, Goa is one of the bidders to host the 2015 Commonwealth Championships. India also hosted the the tournament's last edition in New Delhi in 2013.

The TTFI general-secretary said he was happy to consider Goa for the event in which about 25 countries from the Commonwealth will participate.

"We will place Goa's bid along with others before the committee before arriving at a decision. But, I am sure GTTA (Goa Table Tennis Association) has the wherewithal to successfully conduct an event of this size," he said.

Choudhary said that the city had successfully hosted the Lusofonia Games in January this year and the GTTA has shown their capability through the conduct of the ongoing Road to Nanjing (RTN) Series as well as the Global Junior and Cadet Championships.

Elaborating further on the championships, the top official of the TTFI said that originally New Delhi was to host the RTN series and the Global Junior circuit events. "But after seeing the ideal infrastructure here and GTTA expressing itself to be the hosts, we shifted the two events to Goa."

The moment we announced the shift to the participating countries, the players and officials were too pleased with the change in venue. "That's why you see a good number of participation. Additionally, we have 27 junior and cadet paddlers are participating besides Goa, as hosts, getting four entries," he added.

Taking a cue from the TTFI secretary-general, the GTTA president Vero Nunes also said that he has already approached the Goa government for setting up an academy for the sport in Goa. "I have already mooted the proposal and sent it to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Hopefully, it will be cleared," said Nunes.