'Legend''Kim Taek-soo, Vice President of Table Tennis Association, Appointed Senior Vice President of ATTU...North Korea succeeded in attracting the 亞 Junior-2028 亞 Championship in 2026
Oct 14, 2024
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Vice Chairman Kim was elected as vice chairman along with Xu Xixin 'Chinese Legend' at the ATTU General Assembly held at the Asian Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan on the 12th. Ahn Kook-hee, executive director of the Korea Table Tennis Association (ATTU Media Committee), was elected to the ATTU board.
ATTU is the representative organization that oversees table tennis in Asia. Chairman Kharyl al-Mohannadi (Qatar) also won a second term in this election. Vice Chairman Kim was appointed as vice chairman at the Doha General Assembly in 2021 and has been serving for four years, and has been in office for four years until 2028 as he won a second term.
Vice Chairman Kim Taek-soo is considered one of the best techniques ever for Korea's proud table tennis legend. The 32-ball rally, which was held with Liu Guoliang, the current president of the China Table Tennis Association, in the final of the 1999 Bangkok Asian Games, is a famous scene that has been talked about so far.
Vice Chairman Kim Taek-soo said "Korea Table Tennis was recognized for its administrative power in the international arena by successfully hosting the PyeongChang Asian Championship last year and the Busan World Championship this year. The fact that he was able to be given a role again in this election was the result of the Korean table tennis raising its status in the international arena led by former chairman Yoo Seung Min, he said. "As we have been given a new term, we will continue to strive for the development of table tennis in Korea and Asia."
Meanwhile, ATTU approved the changes to Asian Championship regulations and the next host of the tournament, including the Asian Junior Championship and the Asian Cup, at the general meeting. Starting this year, the Asian Championships, which will take on the nature of the World Championships qualifying tournament, will be held every year, separating team and individual events like the World Championships from next year. India has been confirmed as the host country of the 2025 Asian Championship, which will also serve as the preliminary round for the 2026 World Championship in London. In addition, the 2025 Asian Junior Championships will be held in Uzbekistan.
North Korea's unusual sports diplomacy, which caused a huge upset when Kim Geum-yong lifted the women's singles title, is also drawing attention. North Korea has been confirmed as the host of the 2026 Asian Junior Championship and the 2028 Asian Championship. North Korea did not participate in the Pyeongchang Asian Championship last year. Whether South Korea will participate in the Asian Championships in North Korea is also expected to attract great attention.
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