At SEF for training three internationals from Qatar under the guidance of Daniel Cioka

Daniel Tsiokas, who has made history with the Men’s National Table Tennis Team, contributing to the development of Greek table tennis in general, is back at the federation coaching, but in a different role. Since September 2021, he has been working in Doha as Qatar’s national coach and is also performing in this position.

As part of the preparation for the Asian Pre-Olympic tournament, he arranged with E.F.O.E.P.A. to come to Athens with two athletes and one athlete for strong training alongside the Greek champions.

The Qatari delegation arrived on Sunday afternoon led by the son of the president of the country’s federation. Ciokas is joined by brothers Abdulwahab, Mohamed, who is ranked 469 in the world, and Abdullah, who is ranked 510, as well as Mohamed Aya Magdi, who is ranked 414.

The gre78 youtube channel prepared and posted a report on the visit of the internationals from Qatar and Cioka.

The group from Qatar was welcomed by the chairman of the board of EFOEPA, Costas Papageorgiou, and the men’s national coach, Costas Vatsaklis. Tsiokas was Papageorgiou’s teammate in the National team, while of course he had a warm greeting with the women’s national coach, Giorgos Karytsa, whom he knows from AK Zografou and the first part of his life in Greece.

The athletes from Qatar will stay for training at the Faliric Stadium until the 25th of the month and will also work on their fitness.

The Asian Pre-Olympic tournament will take place next May and we remind you that in the same month the corresponding European individual championship will be held. The fact that neither Greece nor Qatar is participating in the World Team Championship, which starts next Friday in Busan, Korea, also favored the closing of these joint training sessions.

Mohammed Abdulwahab made it all the way to the round of 32 at the recent WTT Contender tournament in Doha. Abdullah Abdulwahab had entered the ’64’ in the WTT Feeder of the same city in 2023, as well as in the Asian Championship in the same year. Mohammed Aya Magdi placed 17-32 in the women’s singles at this year’s WTT Contender in the Qatari capital.

Tsiokas, a former Greek individual and team champion and European men’s and women’s mixed doubles “bronze” champion in 2000, had initially signed a two-year contract with the Qatari federation and mutual satisfaction in the partnership led to a renewal of the agreement.

The Belgian international Loic is also expected in Athens next week for training at the Phaleric stadium.