An invitational Ping Pong Tournament held on November 14th at the Global Mall, by Shiv Mandir of Atlanta was a grand success and attracted a large number of table tennis players from metro Atlanta. There were about 65 players of various rankings, nationalities and ages that included six female players as well.
There were prize money for the first four places in the singles and doubles matches. All the winners also got trophies. The First and second place female players also got recognized by a trophy while the best child player also got a trophy.
The games were conducted by in the Round Robin format with the initial games being the best of five. The scoring followed the international standards of games of eleven points. The final of the singles match between Petrov and Manas Reddy was something to be admired. Every one was just turning their heads from one player to the other and encouraged both. The match concluded with a close win by Manas Reddy.
Even with minimal advertising, the response to the event was overwhelming. Shiv Mandir of Atlanta thanked all the participants through a press release issued here. “The support received in organizing this event from Mandir committee and especially from the volunteers like Satyabhaskar Velivela, Ravi Mekala, Prem Sharma is invaluable,” said the release.
“We didn’t expect such overwhelming response to our first sporting event. We are delighted to provide our youth with an opportunity to show their talent and at the same time get them involved in Mandir activities,” said a jubilant Surinder Dhar, President of the Shiv Mandir. He further added, “Based on the feedback from our youth members we are also planning to conduct a cricket tournament in spring next year,”
Mr. Alok Gupta one of the coordinators of the event observed “To have a healthy personality; that is at once one with the spiritual world and the world we live in, Hinduism prescribes prayers, good & healthy food and a good dose of physical activity. So, a Mandir, while providing a venue for spirituality, should also endeavor to fulfill the other requirements for a healthy individual”
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