New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS): The Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) will extend its support to the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender in Goa and will play the role of Supporting Partner of the event hosted by Stupa Analytics along with the Government of Goa.

The WTT Contender will be played from February 27 to March 5 at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium.

Sharing his views on the Star Contender event, Kamlesh Mehta, Secretary General of TTFI said that the event would benefit all concerned, especially the players.

"We are glad to be a part of this event and are excited to play our role in such a world-class event. TTFI also has future plans to bring many more international events to India to provide exposure and experience to the abundant talents available in the country," Mehta said.

The WTT Series is the official professional Table Tennis series of events, with the world's best players facing each other in various category tournaments throughout the year. Four Grand Smashes in a tour year, are the ultimate prize to win.

"We are delighted to be associated with WTT as the Supporting Partner and the newly-elected body is game for it. I welcome all the players and delegates to the event and I extend my congratulations to WTT, Stupa and the Government of Goa," said Meghna Ahlawat, President of TTFI.

Six Star Contender events in a tour year pit 48 men and 48 women in the respective single's main draws, with the top 30 world ranks eligible to play, four among whom will compulsorily have to be in the world's top 20.

Speaking about the partnership of WTT with TTFI Matt Pound, Managing Director, WTT said: "The goal of WTT events is not only to showcase the world's best players in a high-level setting, but also inspire the next generation of superstars. To do this, all stakeholders need to be working in unison to ensure that we maximise the potential of the event in India for future generations.

"This is why a strong relationship with TTFI is crucial to ensure that the grassroots is being activated around the event and this event is being used as a vehicle for holistic table tennis growth in India."

The WTT Star Contender Goa 2023, is poised to be the perfect catalyst for the millions of table tennis fans as well as upcoming players in the country, who have up till now been yearning to see the best in the world live in action and the top Indian players taking them on.

World-class high-quality gameplay and excitement can be expected from the seven-day extravaganza, which will have 200+ world-ranked athletes and 500+ elite coaches participating, besides global WTT staff.