Olympic table tennis qualifier in the Cooks

The Cook Islands is set to welcome over 130 youth table tennis players and officials in May next year when the country hosts the ITTF 2014 Youth Olympic Games Qualifying event.

The event will also be an under 15 cadet table tennis qualifying event, an Oceania Youth qualifier as well as the world youth qualifier.

The Cook Islands won the bid to host the event with the final Youth Olympic Games qualifying event to be staged in Nanjing, China in August.

The event will be a fantastic opportunity for Cook Islands table tennis youth to gain more international experience right at home.

In the country to help Destination Management Cook Islands (DMCK) prepare venues and promotion of the event is Oceania Table Tennis representative Michael Brown.

Brown is working closely with the Cook Islands Table Tennis Association and DMCK to put together a prospectus of the event to send to over 220 table tennis member associations to drum up interest and registration for the event.

Up to 18 countries are expected to send youth table tennis players to the Cook Islands for the qualifying event.

The tournament in the Cook Islands will be staged from May 21 - 31 next year.

The Cook Islands has produced some top junior table tennis with the majority of these rising stars coming from the outer islands – namely Mauke and Aitutaki.

If your talented youth (under 18) is keen to be part of this event, contact the Cook Islands Table Tennis Association and get training.