Chicago Hot Blog

Don’t call it Ping-Pong. As part of the Chicago Holiday Sports Festival, Chicago will be hosting the U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships at McCormick Place. The Paralympics Table Tennis Championships will take place December 28-30, 2007.

More than 150 athletes are expected to participate in this tournament, including several Paralympics medalists. The events will be divided by Women and Men, and by Standing and Wheelchair. I haven’t been able to find any definite information, but since this is part of the Holiday Sports Festival, it should be free to stop in and watch the Paralympics Table Tennis Tournament.

Last year about 80 athletes participated, but this year’s event looks to top those numbers as more than 150 Paralympics athletes have expressed an interest so far. The participants form a diverse group, hailing from 25 different countries (ranging from Austria to Uzbekistan), with several Paralympians and Paralympics medalists expected to compete. Since the event is the last opportunity to earn world ranking points to qualify for a spot at the 2008 Games in Beijing, the level of intensity is sure to be high.

A showcase for diversity and inclusion, the U.S. Paralympics Table Tennis Championships will be a welcome addition to the Killerspin Holiday Open, which already includes recreational youth events, a USATT-sanctioned competition, and SPIN invitational matches featuring several top international table tennis stars. These events are all a part of Chicago’s Holiday Sports Festival, featuring more than 40 different sports and activities and an expected attendance of 85,000 people over its 3 day run. Talk about a jam-packed weekend!

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