16th Erne Jawad table tennis memorial championship set

Over two hundred table tennis players from Visayas and Mindanao will see action in the 16th Erne Jawad Memorial Table Tennis Championships set on Sept 29 at Elizabeth Mall Activity Center.

The two-day tournament offers a total cash prize of P23, 000 to top finishers in the men’s and women’s open, boys and girls 17-under, and boys and girls 12-under categories.

Event organizer Jessica Jawad-Honoridez said that players from Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Leyte and Tacloban are ready to give local players stiff competition.

A sideshow of the tournament offers a glimpse of the past to spectators and table tennis followers with hard bat action matches. These matches feature players that are still using pure wooden paddles without any rubber layers, or rackets that veterans or older players favor.

The tournament is a tribute to Erne Jawad a former RP Team player and a Cebu Hall of Famer in table tennis. From a simple homage, the event has gained attention over the years as national players make a side trip to Cebu just to join the tournament. This time, though, a try-out for the SEA Games prevented national players and those in the training pool from participating in the event.

J& L Enterprises, Roel Simon Cerna, Lamitan mayor Roderick Furigay, Creamy Delights, Clinica de Lamitan, J.O.Construction, University of Cebu, Elizabeth Mall, Alfonso Albaño, Richell A. Cortes, Wealthbank-Mandaue, JYPKO Friends of JYPKO Foundation Society of Japan are supporting the event.

Registration fee is P100 with the first 100 registrants to receive t-shirts. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol