Table Tennis

DIRECTOR: Jean Bulatao

CO-DIRECTOR: Sanjoy Bhattacharya

VOLUNTEER ASSISTANTS: Craig Krum, Joe Bulatao

OFFICIALS:
Hiro Moriyasu, Tournament Referee (CR,NU)
Steve Lee, Deputy Referee (RR,IU)
Marina Cravens, Chief Umpire (IU)
Helen Prusakov, Deputy Umpire (NU)

VOLUNTEER OFFICIALS:
Jon Redman, Mei Wang, Jerry Li, Ning Cheng and Irina Hellwig

NEUROPONGTM MANAGER: Antonio Barbera

COVID19 POLICY: Please refer to our COVID19 policy by clicking here

FRIENDSHIP FESTIVAL:
In an effort to fulfill our mission of fostering worldwide peace, health and friendship, we are excited to announce, on our 36th anniversary, the Friendship Festival. We invite all athletes and their friends, volunteers, sponsors and community members to join us for six nights of food, fun, entertainment and friendship. The festival will provide flexibility for participants to attend at their convenience on any or all nights of what is sure to be a new favorite opportunity to connect with old friends and make new ones regardless of your sport.

EVENTS: USATT 2-Star Sanctioned Tournament
Men's Age Singles, Women's Age Singles, Rated Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Men’s Random Draw Doubles, Super Tiered Round Robin Doubles,
Men's Hardbat Rated Singles, Women's Hardbat Rated Singles, Hardbat Doubles, NeuroPongTM Singles and NeuroPongTM Doubles.
All Events, including Hardbat and NeuroPong are for Age 50+

NEUROPONGTM:
After the success of last year's pilot program, NeuroPongTM will be an official Event at the 2023 Huntsman World Senior Games. This Event will be open to players with the following chronic progressive neurological conditions that affect movement and cognitive ability: Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
In holding this Event, we want to allow individuals with these neurological conditions the opportunity to be competitive with others having similar conditions. We invite everyone to come support these athletes during the Games.

This Event will be overseen by Antonio Barbera, MD of Table Tennis Connections. Although you will register at seniorgames.net, Dr. Barbera will need to discuss your medical condition with you before admitting you to the correct Division within this Event. After you register for NeuroPongTM, Your contact information will be provided to Dr. Barbera. Please feel free to also contact Dr. Barbera at abarbera@tabletennisconnections.org or by phone at (303) 667-1735 with any questions.

Players who register for the NeuroPongTM Event are eligible to register for other Events on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

SCHEDULE:     
Sunday, Oct. 8 - 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm (practice)
Monday, Oct. 9 - 7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday, Oct. 10 - 7:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday, Oct. 11 - 7:00 am - 7:00 pm
Thursday, Oct. 12 - 7:00 am - 4:00 pm

VENUE:
Dixie Center - Exhibit Hall, 1835 Convention Center Dr, St. George 

DIVISIONS:

  • Men's Age Singles, Women's Age Singles, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles: 5-Year Age Brackets
  • Rated Singles: Elite, 2000+, 1800-1999, 1600-1799, 1400-1599, 1200-1399, 1000-1199, 800-999, Under 800
  • Men's Random Draw Doubles: No Divisions
  • Men's and Women's Hardbat Rated Singles: Divisions to be determined based on entries 
  • Hardbat Doubles: No Divisions
  • Super-Tiered Round Robin Doubles: No Divisions (Limited to the first 84 players)
  • NeuroPongTM Singles and NeuroPongTM Doubles: Divisions to be determined based on entries

AGE DIVISIONS:
Individuals / Partners: 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90+
Tournament Management reserves the right to cancel any event or combine age divisions due to insufficient entries. 

SPORT FEE:
$10 Per Event

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 
Early Bird Deadline (Save $20) – August 1
Final Deadline – September 1

REGISTRATION RULES:

  • Participation is limited to 225 players. Some events may have player limits.
  • Participants must play in their own age bracket in Age Singles.
  • Age Bracket for Doubles events will be determined by the age of the younger partner.
  • If you need a doubles partner in any Doubles event, check Partner Finder under the SPORTS tab on this website for a listing, by sport, of individuals looking for partners. Please add yourself if you don't find someone looking for a partner.
  • Participants may enter only one age category in Age events.
  • Ratings will be obtained from USATT as of September 1.
  • Hardbat ratings will be obtained from hardbat.com as of September 1.
  • In Rated Singles, players may enter one or two rated divisions. (See Format/Rules for restrictions pertaining to entry into rated divisions for rated and unrated players.)
  • MEN must choose between Mixed Doubles and Men's Random Draw Doubles. You may not play in both.
  • The "Elite" Division is new to Rated Singles. This Division will be open only to the top 16 rated players to register. Players with a USATT rating of over 2000 may automatically enter this Division. Places will be offered to the next highest rated players until we reach the maximum of 16. This Division will be played simultaneously with the 1800-1999. Therefore, players who accept a place in this Division must withdraw from the 1800-1999 Division. The Overall Champion will emerge from this Elite Division.

FORMAT/RULES:

  • This Tournament is USATT-sanctioned. ITTF/USATT rules apply.
  • All USA participants must be USATT members. International Federation memberships will be honored.
  • For USA participants, USATT memberships must be active by September 1. If you need to purchase a membership, you are encouraged to pay the $25 USATT annual fee at time of registration for the Games. Other membership options are available from the USATT website (www.usatt.org).
  • Each player will be required to sign both a Huntsman World Senior Games and a USATT waiver.
  • Hardbat events require all participants to use hardbat paddles. Hardbat paddles MUST be ALL WOOD and MUST use one of the rubbers shown on CLASSICHARDBAT.COM.  RUBBERS on both sides must be the same - with the exception of color. For further information, see CLASSICHARDBAT.COM.  If a player does not have a Hardbat rating, their USATT rating will be used for seeding purposes. All matches will be best of 3 games to 21 points. Player Hardbat ratings will be affected by Singles play. Membership on Classichardbat.com is free.
  • Listing of the players by name, USATT rating and player bib number will be posted for all to see.
  • Butterfly Centerfold 25 tables and Butterfly net/bracket sets will be used, except for a few STAG tables.
  • Nittaku 3* Premium white balls (40+mm-large size) will be used.
  • Interlocking, nonslip plastic tile flooring will be used.
  • Paddles, including Rubber, must meet ITTF specifications.
  • Shoes must be rubber-soled.
  • The USATT dress code will be enforced. NO WHITE CLOTHING WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE PLAYING HALL.
  • Playing shorts, dress slacks and track-suit pants are allowed.
  •  All events will start with a round robin format. Matches will be 3-out-of-5 games to 11 points. Hardbat events are an exception.
  •  In the Age-Singles events (Monday) and ALL Doubles events (Tuesday), two players from each round robin will advance to single elimination competition.
  • In the Rated Singles (Wednesday), only the winner of the round robin will advance to single elimination play. (See below for unrated players.)
  • The Super-Tiered Round Robin Doubles (Thursday) will feature six (6) Round Robin groups in the first round. Then ALL the teams will be placed into one of seven (7) groups for the second round based on their performance in the first round. Medals will be awarded in each group after the second round. Participating players may be of either gender, any age and any rating.
  • Rated Singles: Players may enter a maximum of two consecutive rated events; either (A) their own and the one above; OR (B) the two brackets immediately above their own. Example: If a player has a rating of 1388, they may enter (A) the 1200-1399 and the 1400-1599 OR (B) the 1400-1599 and the 1600-1799.
  • Men’s Random Draw Doubles will have no age groups and will be open to all men not playing in Mixed Doubles. Requests for specific partners cannot be considered.

UNRATED PLAYERS:

  • Unrated players may enter up to two consecutive Rated Divisions that they feel are closest to their level of play. However, they may not advance from round robin play (See Exception below).
  • We HIGHLY recommend that all unrated players entering these Games consider entering another USATT SANCTIONED tournament prior to AUGUST, so that they can establish a rating before the September 1 deadline. This would allow for a better experience and the opportunity to advance from round robin play. 

    EXCEPTION: The Tournament Committee has decided to allow ALL unrated players the opportunity to have an estimated rating for this tournament only. The estimated rating will be given by Tournament Committee members or representatives with coaching experience. This change will allow unrated players the opportunity to advance from a round robin. This is valid only for the Rated Singles on WEDNESDAY and the HARDBAT Rated Singles on MONDAY. Players who receive an estimated rating that differs from their original entry will be moved to the appropriate Division.

    If a player wishes to have an estimated rating, it will be given on SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8. Please send an email to: jeandbulatao@gmail.com to schedule a time. 


PLAYER OPTIONS:

  • Each Player will have the option of either wearing their player number on the back of their shirt or wearing a shirt with their name clearly printed on it.
  • Player numbers will be assigned based on USATT ratings with the highest rated player assigned number 1.
  • For every event (except the Elite Division Rated Singles), it is expected that all rounds will be completed on the same day. However, if all the remaining participants in the playoffs agree, some rounds may be postponed at the discretion of Tournament Management.
  • The Elite Division Bronze medal and Gold medal matches will be played at the featured time on Thursday.

PLAYERS NEW TO USATT SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTS:

Players who have never participated in USATT sanctioned tournaments MUST attend the new player USATT rules orientation held on Sunday, October 8 at 4:00 pm or Monday, October 9 at 7:30 am.

After round robin play has concluded in each event, players should check with the Control Desk BEFORE leaving the venue to determine if and when they will continue in the playoffs.

PLAYER CHECK-IN:
All players must go to the Huntsman World Senior Games Official Registraion Check-in desk in the Dixie Center and collect their ID badge before reporting to the Table Tennis venue.

EVENT SCHEDULE:
Sunday, Oct. 8
3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Check-in and Open Practice
4:00 pm, New Player Orientation on USATT Rules

Monday, Oct. 9
7:00 am, Check-in and Open Practice
7:30 am, New Player Orientation on USATT Rules
8:00 am, Announcements
8:30 am, Women’s Age-Singles - All Age Groups
8:30 am, Men's Hardbat Singles
12:30 pm, Men’s Age-Singles - Ages 50-69 
1:00 pm, Women’s Hardbat Singles
2:30 pm, Men's Age Singles - Ages 70+

Tuesday, Oct. 10
7:00 am, Open Practice
8:00 am, Men's Doubles - All Age Groups
9:00 am, NeuroPongTM Singles
10:00 am, Women’s Doubles - All Age Groups
12:30 pm, Men's Random Draw Doubles
1:00 pm, NeuroPongTM Doubles
2:00 pm, Mixed Doubles - All Age Groups

Wednesday, Oct. 11
7:00 am, Open Practice
8:00 am, Rated Singles: 1200-1399, 1600-1799
10:00 am, Rated Singles: 800-999, 2000+
Noon, Rated Singles: 1400-1599
2:00 pm, Rated Singles: 1800-1999, 1000-1199, Elite
4:00 pm, Rated Singles: Under 800

Thursday, Oct. 12
7:00 am, Open Practice
8:00 am, Hardbat Doubles - Round Robin
8:30 am, Super Tiered Round Robin Doubles - 1st Round
11:00 am, Rated Singles Elite - Bronze Medal Match
11:30 am, Rated Singles Elite - Gold Medal Match
12:30 pm, Hardbat Doubles -  Playoff Rounds
12:30 pm, Super-Tiered Round Robin Doubles - 2nd Round

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
If you are interested in being a volunteer scorekeeper or a ball picker for a disabled player, please so indicate on your registration form. Also, if you DO NOT have any events on a particular morning or afternoon, simply let the Control Desk know of your availability. Your help is appreciated. 

TABLE MANAGERS:
We will be utilizing Table Managers throughout Round Robin play to help keep the matches on time. Each Table Manager will be responsible for a small group of tables. When your name and table number is announced, please go directly to that table. Your Table Manager will meet you there to organize Round Robin play.

MEDALS: 
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals (with a ribbon for fourth place) will be awarded in each Division for every Event. Medals will be awarded daily.