ITTF World Cup: China hosts first international event since Covid-19 outbreak as Hong Kong’s Doo and Wong challenge for honours
- Players must clear Covid-19 testing procedures before and after arrival in China and complete eight days of quarantine
- Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting last played in the Qatar Open in March and have since been restricted to training at the Hong Kong Sports Institute
Hong Kong table tennis duo Doo Hoi-kem and Wong Chun-ting are ready to return to the international spotlight after a seven-month coronavirus-enforced break at the ITTF World Cup in Weihai, China.
Both players have arrived at the Shandong province city after clearing all Covid-19 testing procedures in Hong Kong and China and spending eight days in quarantine in Shanghai. They are now starting their final preparations for the prestigious tournament featuring the top players from around the world.
The women’s event, headed by world number one Chen Meng of China, will be held from November 8-10 with the men’s tournament, which includes China’s Olympic and world champion Ma Long, being played from November 13-15.
Doo, the world number 15, has also been invited to the ITTF Finals from November 19-22, taking place in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou.
The World Cup is the ITTF’s first major tournament since the Qatar Open in early March when the Covid-19 pandemic started to play havoc with world sport. It is also the first international sporting event in China since the outbreak.
