11th "Confucius Cup" Table Tennis Open Tournament Concluded Successfully in Ireland

On June 23, 2024, the 11^th "Confucius Cup" Table Tennis Open Tournament, jointly organized by UCD Confucius Institute for Ireland and Loop Table Tennis Club, concluded successfully in Ireland. Over 250 players from more than 30 countries, including Ireland, Britain, Croatia, Romania, Germany, Poland, China, Hungary, Nigeria, Mongolia, and Italy, participated in the event. The competition attracted numerous star players from various countries, including He Zhiwen (Spain, world championship winner), Frane Kojic (Croatia, 2024 Paris Olympics athlete), Bialek Artur (Poland, U21 Polish Championship runner-up), and Constantin Cioti (Romania, former European singles champion). The tournament featured mixed singles, women's singles, and men's doubles, with both group stages and knockout rounds, and a total of 11 different types of prizes.

After four days of intense competition, featuring over 800 matches, the champions emerged as follows: Frane Kojic (Croatia) won the mixed singles title, Kuhara Itagaki (Germany) claimed the women's singles championship, while He Zhiwen (Spain) and Constantin Cioti (Romania) secured the men's doubles title. Peadar Sheridan (Ireland) won the youth category (under 19), and Adam Hedderly (Ireland) triumphed in the junior category (under 14). Professor Jiangnan Xie, Chinese Director of the UCD Confucius Institute, attended the award ceremony and presented the prizes to the winners.

Over the past decade, the "Confucius Cup" Table Tennis Open Tournament has become one of Ireland's most influential table tennis events, attracting players from all over the world each year. The "Confucius Cup" not only carries on the spirit of "Ping-pong Diplomacy" but also serves as a bridge of friendship for table tennis enthusiasts worldwide.