The Maldivian team has departed for India to compete in the 28th Asian Table Tennis Union Championship, sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which began today in Bhubaneswar, India.

The tournament, which started today in India, will continue until the 15th of this month. The Maldivian team left yesterday, and Minister Abdullah Rafiu met with the team to encourage them before their departure.

This time, the Maldivian team competing in the Asian TT Championship includes many young players along with senior players. These players are also representing the Maldives in the Asian Youth Games scheduled for later this month in Bahrain.

Coach Mahdi Hoshmaramm said that the Asian Championship will be a good experience for these players, and young players were given spots in this high-level tournament to gain experience. Hoshmaramm noted that since they will face strong players in the Asian Youth Games, they wanted to give the young players a good opportunity in the Indian tournament before that.

Four female and four male players have gone to India from the Maldives. The female players are Fathimath Dheema Ali, Aishath Rafa Nazim, Aishath Alsa Nafiz, and Mishka Mohamed Ibrahim. The male players include Moosa Munsif Ahmed, Mohamed Shaffan Ismail, Ahyaar Ahmed Khalid, and Mohamed Halaf Rafiu.