Ultimate Table Tennis has brought a new sporting culture to India: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju

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Pune, July 16: The Honourable Union Minister of Earth Sciences Shri Kiren Rijiju heaped praise on the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) and stated that the league has brought a new sporting culture to India.

The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), has been a game-changer for Indian table tennis since its inception in 2017.

The Honourable Minister visited the IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4, powered by DafaNews, as he witnessed exciting table tennis action at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune. Goa Challengers defeated Dabang Delhi TTC 10-5 to open their campaign on impressive note.

"The Ultimate Table Tennis has brought a new sporting culture to India. It's not only for table tennis but a general interest for everyone and also showed the way that such sporting events can be organized in a very professional manner. UTT has been one of the leading tournaments in India which has been arranged and organized in a very professional way," commented Kiren Rijiju

He further added, "The entire presentation is very attractive and you need some platforms for younger players to play. So, IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis has done a wonderful thing to galvanise table tennis in India and also inspired other sports.

"I have personally seen the growth of the league in the past few years, so, I am excited to be here in Pune to witness the table tennis action here with the wonderful participation from the franchises and the audience."

IndianOil UTT promoter Vita Dani, TTFI Secretary General Kamlesh Mehta, ITTF President Petra Sorling were also present at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune on Saturday (July 15) night.

The ongoing season has been witnessing the participation of top Indian paddlers including Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran among others along with international stars such as Quadri Aruna, Lily Zhang, and Omar Assar.

The six franchises fighting for the coveted title are U Mumba TT, Chennai Lions, Bengaluru Smashers, Dabang Delhi TTC, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis and Goa Challengers. The live-action of the Season 4 is being telecasted on Sports 18 with streaming available on JioCinema.

Source: Media Release