Alicante, together with the neighbouring town of Elche, will be hosting the World Veterans Table Tennis Championship next May. This will be one of the most important events of the year for our city, as it was for the New Zealand town of Auckland in 2014.
And so I would like to welcome already the 4,000 or more participants coming here from 76 countries. During their stay, as well as competing at the highest level, they will have the chance to enjoy our city, our gastronomy, sunshine and, above all, our people. I firmly believe that the best memory they will take home from this championship will be the experiences they gain in Alicante.
This event is a celebration of table tennis that, from an organisational perspective, got underway some time ago. We have been working shoulder to shoulder with Elche for a long time now to turn this ambitious project into a reality. And it will be an honour for me and for all the people of Alicante to welcome all our visitors next May.
There are still a few things to finalise in our preparations. The Alicante Exhibition Centre is ready to host a championship of this magnitude, offering participants the conditions they need to compete at the highest level. Now we are just waiting for the time to come when we can get to the good bit, the table tennis itself. I invite you to come and enjoy this unique sporting event with me, and to help us to promote this sport in the idyllic and comparable setting of Alicante.
Gabriel Echávarri Fernández
Mayor of Alicante
