HA NOI — Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medallist Nguyen Anh Tu aims to take the trophy at the Elite Table Tennis Tournament which will be held in Ha Noi on February 3-4.

“I won’t miss this event which attracts the best players from around the country and offers a high prize. Last year, I only managed to reach the semi-finals, so this year, I’m planning to win the trophy,” said Tu, who won the gold medal as part of the men’s team at the SEA Games in Malaysia last year.

Tu has trained hard to prepare for the tournament, which will attract the participation of 16 male and 16 female players, competing in the men’s and women’s singles.

Besides Tu, fans will have a chance to see leading players such as Tran Tuan Quynh of Ha Noi T&T, Nguyen Duc Tuan of Hai Duong, Le Tien Dat of the Military, and Mai Hoang My Trang of HCM City.

“This is the second time the event has been held. We organised the first tournament for only male athletes, but this year, we enlarged the competition category to include females. This year’s event is expected to bring fans exciting matches,” Dinh Quang Linh, the head of the event’s organising board said at a press conference yesterday.

Phan Anh Tuan, head of table tennis at the National Sports Administration, said the Elite Table Tennis Tournament is a prestigious event.

“The event will give athletes a chance to hone their skills to prepare for the World Table Tennis Championships to be held in April in Belgium in which Viet Nam will take part with three players,” said Tuan.

The winners in the men’s and women’s categories in the tournament will walk away with a prize of VND60 million (US$2,600)

Le Tien Dat of the Military won the title at last year’s event, after defeating Nguyen Duc Tuan of Hai Duong in the final. — VNS