October 1, 2008
ITTF Cadet Challenge & Junior Circuit Finals Qualifiers Known
 Croatia's Borna Kovac booked his passage to Sweden by winning the Boy's Singles at the Chilean Junior Open, the last ITTF Junior Circuit tournament of the year. Photo By: Cristian Larrain |
Courtesy of ITTF However, as to the final list of players who will appear in the Swedish city there still some decisions to be made. |
The reason is that there have been several outstanding performances by players in the Cadet age group category on the ITTF Junior Circuit.
In Helsingborg players compete in either the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals or the ITTF Cadet Challenge, not in both.
Marcelo Aguirre
Fifteen-year-old Marcelo Aguirre of Paraguay finished in fifth place on the Boys' Standings, while two girls in the Cadet category completed the year in top twelve places.
They are Korea's Yang Ha Eun and Hungary's Dora Madarasz.
It is anticipated that these players may compete in the ITTF Cadet Challenge, thus doors will open for players below the cut-off line.
Cut Off Line
In thirteenth place on the boys' list is Hungary's Daniel Kosiba followed by Japan's Yuki Hirano and Iran's Noshad Alamiyan while on the girls' list the three players immediately below the line are Japan's Megumi Okazaki, Romania's Bernadette Szocs and Hong Kong's Ng Wing Nam.
Daniel Kosiba, Yuki Hirano and Noshad Alamiyan all fulfill the necessary criteria and could fill the boots of any player in the top twelve who for whatever reason does not accept the invitation to Sweden.
Two Players Only
However, for the girls life is much more complicated.
The regulations state that a national association can only have two representatives in an event at the ITTF Junior Circuit Finals. Yuko Fujji and Misaki Morizono are both from Japan; they occupy sixth and seventh places respectively.
Therefore, Megumi Okazaki in thirteenth place and Ayuka Tanioka in sixteenth place are not eligible to fill places should any top twelve player decline the invitation; that is unless the Japanese Table Tennis Association requested they replace one of the Japanese qualified players should a reserve place become suitably available.
Similar for Romania
It is a similar situation for Bernadette Szocs and Andrea Dospina of Romania.
Bernadette Szocs is still a cadet and may well represent Europe in the ITTF Cadet Challenge; she is in fourteenth place while Andrea Dospina is in seventeenth position.
However, there are two Romanians in the top twelve; namely Cristina Hirici and Camelia Postoaca.
Beneficiary
The one player who could benefit is Hong Kong's Ng Wing Nam; she is in fifteenth spot but for her colleague Guan Meng Yuan, in eighteenth place, a visit to Helsingborg is not likely; should Ng Wing Nam gain an invitation through a withdrawal then Hong Kong would have two representatives.
Lee Ho Ching stands in eighth place.
It may well be that the beneficiary is Germany's Rosalia Stähr; she is in nineteenth place and has met all the necessary qualification criteria.
Qualifiers: Boys
Omar Assar (EGY), Mattias Karlsson (SWE), Victorien Le Guen (FRA), Borna Kovac (HRV), Marcelo Aguirre (PAR), Hunor Szocs (ROU), Albert Miño (ECU), Lauric Jean (BEL), Thomas Le Breton (FRA), Koki Niwa (JPN), Endika Diez (ESP), Kristian Karlsson
Reserves: Boys
Daniel Kosiba (HUN), Yuki Hirano (JPN), Noshad Alamiyan (EGY), Erik Bottroff (GER), Felipe Olivares (CHN), Kohei Morimoto (JPN), Chiu Chung Hei (HKG), Tomas Tregler (CZE)
Qualifiers: Girls
Ma Wenting (NOR), Aurore Dessaint (FRA), Cristina Hirici (ROU), Krisztina Ambrus (HUN), Camelia Postoaca (ROU), Yuko Fujii (JPN), Misaki Morizono (JPN), Lee Ho Ching (HKG), Yang Ha Eun (KOR), Barbora Balazova (SVK)
No player from Sweden finished the program in a top twelve position; therefore, Sweden, as the host nation, is entitled to nominate one player.
Reserves: Girls
Megumi Okazaki (JPN), Bernadette Szocs (ROU), Ng Wing Nam (HKG), Ayuka Tanioka (JPN), Andrea Dospina (ROU), Guan Meng Yuan (HKG), Rosalia Stähr (GER), Hana Matelova (CZE).
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