WTT Finals switch leaves Hong Kong table tennis bosses facing ‘challenging task’
World Table Tennis’ season-ending tournament is moving to Kai Tak Arena, but new venue could see loss of thousands of seats
The World Table Tennis Finals will get a new home this year, with the season-ending showpiece moving from Hong Kong Coliseum to Kai Tak Arena.
While the WTT has yet to officially announce the move for December’s tournament, government sources and the local table tennis association both told the South China Morning Post it would happen.
City officials had previously said the Coliseum would switch to prioritising concerts. Still, Tony Yue Kwok-leung, chairman of the Hong Kong, China Table Tennis Association, said moving venues would be a challenge.
“Our experience from last year was quite good,” Yue said. “Both the WTT and us like the Coliseum, and we do not have to design the venue layout from scratch again had we been able to stay there.
“We are going to try something new. Kai Tak is a new arena, so it is all good in terms of infrastructure. I also believe fans are now used to visiting Kai Tak, so transport should not be an issue.
“The one-table set up will be retained, and we need to figure out how to utilise the arena in the best possible way. We need to draw up a few plans before deciding on the best one. It’s going to be a challenging task, but we are up for it.”
