Kuala Lumpur, Aug 1 (IANS): The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) staged the launch event for the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championship here on Saturday.

For the second time in history, Malaysia has been granted the trust of the ITTF to host the Perfect 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championship, which will take place between February 28 and March 6 at the Malawati Stadium, Shah Alam, Greater Kuala Lumpur.

The launch event was successfully officiated by Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan, Second Minister of International Trade and Industry along side with chairman of Perfect China Company Limited also President of TTAM, Tan Sri Dato' Koo Yuen Kim, including ITTF president Thomas Weikert, as well as the general manager of MME, Tony Nagamaiah and the event's Organising Committee chairman Han Kee Juan.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between TTAM and ITTF, together with another memorandum signed between TTAM and Malaysia Major Events.

"This is indeed a significant and historical event for the national sports arena in general and particularly in table tennis," said YB Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan.

"The decision for Perfect 2016 World Table Tennis Championships to be held in Malaysia was a momentous one, owing to the fact that next year will be 16 years since the event last took place in Malaysia."

In 2000, Malaysia organised the 45th World Team Table Tennis Championships, being the first country in South East Asia and the smallest country in the modern era of table tennis to organise a world table tennis world championships.

World Table Tennis Championships have been held since 1926 biennially.