A Philippine table tennis team won the championship in the prestigious Singapore National Table Tennis League held recently in Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.
The Philippine team, composed of Filipino expats in the Lion City and a selection from the Philippines, beat teams from Singaporean in Division VII in the tournament participated in by teams from several Asian countries.
The team was led by Philippine Table Tennis Federation president Ting Ledesma, himself a former national team player, who spearheaded the rare victory of a Philippine team in the international table tennis scene.
“It was actually one of the most participated events in Singapore, as over 1,200 players joined from Asia, including teams from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippines,” Ledesma said when he guested at the TOPS Usapang Sports last Thursday at the National Press Club backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, PAGCOR, Community Basketball Association and the NPC.
“The tournament was perfectly organized and we saw participants from ages 7 years old up to 80 year old,” Ledesma said.
Aside from Ledesma, the other members of the team were Nestor Francisco (playing team manager), Hanzel Vicente Tane, Bryan Taguiga, Joselito Almasan, Christian Bernard Lector Garcia, Enrique Ibañez, Jeffrey Vidal, Rodel Calimlim, Gloria Belandres, Edgardo Bangga, Noel Cesar Atilano and Lauro Panredes Crisostomo.
During the forum, Ledesma also thanked the Philippine Sports Commission for supporting the TTFI, specifically for bankrolling the funds for the national team, which is currently deep in training in Korea as part of its preparation for the coming 30th Southeast Asian Games to be hosted by the country.