*This content was translated by AI.
In 2026, the national table tennis team for all sports was additionally selected.
The Korea Table Tennis Association announced on the 18th that it held a selection match at Jecheon Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do on the 17th and selected an additional national sports table tennis team in 2026.
In the selection match, a total of 12 amateur national teams, including seven men and five women from each age group, were selected by playing 12 individual singles events divided by five-year-olds from 40 to 44 years old to 70 to 74 years old.
Women aged 65 to 69 and 70 to 74 years old, which had relatively few participants, finished without additional selection. In September last year, the Korea Table Tennis Association selected national representatives of each age through the 32nd Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Sports and Table Tennis Competition. Seven male and female winners by age from 40s to 70s were selected for the first time. A total of 26 members of the national table tennis team for daily sports in 2026, including the newly joined players through this selection match.
The reason why the Korea Table Tennis Association selected the "national team" for daily table tennis is because of the 2026 World Masters Table Tennis Championships in Gangneung in June, as is known. Gangneung Masters is an open competition with no restrictions on participation other than age. However, considering the symbolism of the first ever domestic table tennis world championship, he decided to run the national team.
Instead of receiving various benefits from the Korea Table Tennis Association, such as all related wear such as national team uniforms, training suits and backpacks, and support for participation fees in the competition, the national team should also perform its duties as a representative player, such as encouraging and promoting participation in the Gangneung Masters.
Unlike last year's ministerial flag of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which was a voluntary participation, the qualification for this selection match was limited. The participants were the first to fourth winners of the T3 to T7 League of the 2025 Division League National Comprehensive Competition, which settled the division league last year, participants in the T1 to T2 League (including retired players), and recommended players from each city and provincial association (one male and female by age, up to seven male and female per association). It was limited to cases where the age criteria for 40 years or older (born in 1986 or older) were met.
After the qualifying league, the first and second-ranked players in each group were newly joined by Kim Seok (Gyeonggi-do Table Tennis Association), Kim Jin-soo (Kim Jin-soo Table Tennis Club), Kim Dong-kyung (Chungcheongnam-do Table Tennis Association), Shin Min-ho (Happy Table Tennis), Cho Yong-hyun (individual), Yang Jin-kwang (Yangjin Kwang Table Tennis Class), and Lee Hee-sung (Lee Hee-sung Table Tennis Club) from 40 to 44 years old.
Jung Im-soon (Chungcheongnam-do Table Tennis Association), Song Min-kyung (Seoul Table Tennis Association), Lee Sun-mi (Incheon Table Tennis Association), Shin Soo-hee (Black Pimple), and Jeon Sun-hee (Hong Yeon-ho Table Tennis Association), who are aged 40-44, have become the new national team.
The World Masters Table Tennis Championships is the world's largest biennial sports table tennis festival. This year's Gangneung competition will be held from June 5 to 12, 2026, in Gangneung Oval and Gangneung Arena.
Five men's and women's singles, doubles, and mixed doubles are operated by 11 subcategories by age (five-year units). Anyone over the age of 40 (born in 1986 or older) can participate regardless of whether he or she was a player. Members of the organizing committee of the 2026 Gangneung World Masters Table Tennis Championships also operated a separate promotional booth at the site of the selection to encourage amateur players to participate.
Seo Min-sung, chairman of the Korea Table Tennis Association, said, "The Gangneung Masters Championship is an open competition that anyone can participate in as long as they are age-appropriate. "We set up a separate national team as needed, but there are as many amateur players as the selected players," he said. "Depending on the circumstances, there may be cases in which he could not appear in the selection match. We hope that people around the world will enjoy the table tennis festival in our home turf together," he added.
The 2026 Gangneung World Masters Table Tennis Championships is also attracting a lot of attention as a meaningful event to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). In particular, it is of special significance in that it is the first sports table tennis world championship in Korea.
At the most meaningful time for Korean table tennis lovers, I met the opportunity to interact with the world's table tennis players in our home turf. Applications for participation are available on the official website of the competition and will be finalized on March 31.
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*This content was translated by AI.
