FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2001 USA Table Tennis National Championships Draw Record Number of Particpants

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - The USA Table Tennis National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, December 19-23rd, will have a record 730 athletes competing in 68 events. In 2000, there were a total of 726 registered athletes.

In the Men's and Women's Open Singles events, top seeded Cheng Yinghua (2770) and Jun Gao Cheng (2611) will battle top rated contenders in their division for the National Championship title. A total of 21 Women's Open Single entries, and 90 Men's Single Open entries have been registered.

The Nationals will also feature four new events, U1500 HardBat, Senior HardBat, Under 15 years old U1000, and Under 14 years old Unrated.

The stage is also set for a spectacular showdown for the National Team Trials on Tuesday, December 18th, starting at 6:00 p.m. and concluding Wednesday, December 19th, featuring several top Olympic table tennis athletes competing for a berth on the 2002 U.S. National Team.

The annual USA National Table Tennis Championships is organized by USA Table Tennis, the national governing board for Olympic Table Tennis in the U.S. It is being contested on 80 tournament-quality Butterfly tables spread through the Las Vegas Convention Center, Hall C3. The event is organized and promoted in partnership with Martin Kilpatrick, supplier of Butterfly brand equipment, and Paddle Palace, official ball supplier for Nittaku in the U.S..

The Media and public are invited to attend all five days events free. The Semis and Finals Events, Dec. 22nd, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., require $10 admission. Tickets can be purchased for these matches by logging onto http://www.ticketsguaranteed.com or by calling USA Table Tennis (719) 578-4583. Media should contact USATT for credentials.