Useful tests at the WTT Youth Contender in Portugal for four Greek athletes

Early on Tuesday morning, four athletes in the children’s and youth table tennis category left for Portugal, with the final destination being Villa Real, where the powerful international youth tournament of the World Table Tennis is underway.

The team consists of 17-year-old Yiannis Malamoudis of Ifitos Patras, George Kosmas and Petros Liotsis of DAO Tavros, who are in their 15th year of age, and Kostas Fakaros of Poseidon Loutraki, who is 14 years old.

The competitions have started since February 25 for the girls, the second part, the one with the boys, takes place between 01-03/03 and our athletes will test their strength in two age categories. The head of the mission and responsible for the technical guidance is the coach of AS FEA Ioannina and former national team player in Greece and the Maldives, Konstantinos Kostopoulos.

The Pavilhao dos Desportos de Vila Real in Northern Portugal hosts the World Federation’s 3rd Youth Contender for 2023. They are the second tier (after the Stars) prize-winning Youth Opens, this year also include the Under-15 and Under-19 Mixed Doubles event years old, simply the four Greeks take part only in the simple.

In their preparation for the Panhellenic championships, they have the opportunity to gain an important experience and, from here on, they will seek to advance as much as possible.

In February, Malamoudis is number 12 in the Greek evaluation table for teenagers and a few days ago he was named the winner of the Regional Championship of the category for Western Greece/Peloponnese. He will compete for the first time in an international tournament and is in the categories Under 17 (77 athletes will compete there) and Under 19 (69 participations).

Kosmas is number 2 in the Greek ranking list for children and this year he won the Regional Championship for teenagers and the Regional Championship for children of Attica. After his appearance in the Mediterranean Youth Team last summer, the Gianniote champion is now also making his debut in the Youth Contender, competing in the Under 15 (61 appearances expected) and Under 17 categories.

Fakaros and Liotsis will compete in the same age categories. Fakaros, number 3 in the children’s table in February and winner this year in a development championship, participates for the third time in the Open of the new institution of the WTT. In 2022 he had the opportunity to participate in Under 13, but in the new year he changed category.

Liotsis from Chios is this month number 4 in the Greek children’s evaluation table. A month ago, he had won third place in the Regional Championship for children of Attica. At Villa Real, he will also have the experience of playing abroad for the first time.

Group includes the initial phase of the games. The top two athletes from each advance to the main draw and the “knockout” matches, while the rest are eliminated.