Table Tennis World Championship ends in South Africa

After an absence of more than 80 years, South Africa hosted the World Table Tennis Championships that ended this Sunday in Durban.

According to the head of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), this event marks an opportunity to raise awareness for the sport and inspire a new generation.

"As it was 84 years since the last time in Africa and first time ever in South Africa. By bringing the event here, we create some awareness of our beautiful sport, as well as making it visible for the young kids and new generations to come. So we really hope that this event will create newborn table tennis stars in South Africa for the future to come", said Petra Sorling, president of the International Table Tennis Federation.

According to the official, this event is also a way to encourage local talent.

"Well, we already see now that we have a local African table tennis player Omar Assar in the quarter final. So yes, this is definitely a step for our sport to show it's a truly global sport", added the ITTF president.

The table tennis championship kicked off in Durban's Olive Convention Centre on May 20 and ends this Sunday.