An earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Nepal yesterday night on Saturday 25 April 2015, the day before the Qoros 2015 World Table Tennis Championships is due to start.
It was difficult for the Nepalese team competing in Suzhou on their first day of competition, as they are desperate to hear from home to find out the situation back there, while trying to focus on their first day of competition at the World Championships.
ITTF President Mr Thomas WEIKERT spoke with members of the Nepalese team in the morning to send his condolences after the players played their first match of the day.
Mr WEIKERT shared "It's really a tragic situation, I spoke with the Nepalese girls competing here today to send my condolences. I saw the pictures on television, and it was really devastating."
"Of course the ITTF family have our hearts with the Nepalese table tennis players, and the whole nation as well. We will look into this, and see how ITTF can help them. Nepal is not a very rich country, and does not have much equipment and resources, we will definitely see how we can support them."
After losing her first Women's Doubles match in the qualification stage with teammate Nabita SHRESTHA, Nepal's Elina MAHARJAN broke into tears, "It's hard to play, I just pray that everyone is safe. Some people I know are hurt, and some friends are dead. It's very painful."
23-year-old SHRESTHA added "It affected me, of course, because now there are 72 hours of critical condition. There could be another earthquake strike at any time and my parents and my family are staying (outside in a tent), so it is quite difficult. My old house got destructed, but thank God nobody was sitting around there."
Chair of the ITTF Athletes' Commission, Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR) sent a message on behalf of all the world's table tennis players "I heard that one of the Nepalese team member back home lost some of his family members to the disaster, and we understand how devastating this whole situation is to him, the team and their country. On behalf of all the players competing here in Suzhou, and table tennis players all around the world, I would like to show our support and send them our condolences."
Whilst the entire table tennis world was thinking about our friends in Nepal, the action got underway in the qualification rounds in Suzhou. 32 positions were on offer in the main draw were hotly contested from the players representing 100 countries. From Senegal to Sudan, check out the winners and losers from day one here: http://www.edm.ittf.com/link.php?M=40179&N=1141&L=1605&F=H.
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