Muscat -The 36th edition of the Arab Table Tennis Clubs Championship kicks off in Muscat on Sunday. Organised by the Oman Table Tennis Association in collaboration with the Arab Table Tennis Federation, the tournament will run until September 4 at the main hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bousher. Thirty-five clubs will participate, including 24 men’s teams, while 11 women’s teams have registered.

The men’s clubs include: Djibouti FC (Djibouti), Al-Fahaheel (Kuwait), Al-Yarmouk (Kuwait), South Gas (Iraq), North Oil (Iraq), Sulaymaniyah (Iraq), Al-Arabi (Qatar), Qatar (Qatar), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Al-Rowwad Sports (Syria), Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia), Al-Salamiyah (Syria), ENPPI (Egypt), Petrojet (Egypt), Bahrain (Bahrain), Al-Sadd (Qatar), Sar (Bahrain), Al-Karak (Jordan), Al-Sahel (Kuwait), Shabab Al-Ahli (UAE), Al-Seeb (Sultanate of Oman), Ibri (Sultanate of Oman), Salalah (Sultanate of Oman).

Women’s clubs include the Amateur Women’s Sports Club (Algeria), Al-Ayoun Girls Club (Kuwait), South Gas (Iraq), Al-Kahraba Sports Club (Iraq), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Al-Rowwad Sports Club (Syria), Al-Salamiyah (Syria), ENPPI (Egypt), Petrojet (Egypt), Al-Qadisiyah (Kuwait), Al-Fatat (Morocco), and Qatar (Qatar).

The participating delegations have arrived in recent days, and have begun their daily training sessions in the main hall and a side hall designated for warm-up exercises before the start of the tournament.

The tournament draw will be held next Saturday in the presence of representatives of the participating clubs. All competing clubs will be divided into several groups, with the first and second place winners from each group qualifying for the final rounds. The tournament will be held as a team tournament, with competitions taking place on eight tables distributed in the main hall. The tournament will start at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 9:00 p.m., with breaks in between.

The tournament is expected to witness strong technical performances, especially after the Arab Table Tennis Federation approved the participation of professional foreign players, subject to specific regulations. Competitions will also be held according to the modern Cup Swiss system, which guarantees strong matches and equal opportunities for all teams to compete until the final rounds.

It is worth noting that the Arab Clubs Championship is one of the most prominent sporting events scheduled on the Arab Table Tennis Federation’s calendar.