Despite unfavorable weather, the MONDIAL PING TOUR 2013 took off today on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. Table tennis was in the spotlight for a day during which Enzo Angles and Romain Lorentz, two members of the French Team, local club players from 27 clubs, enlightened amateurs, and casual onlookers tried their hand at “Ping-Pong” in the middle of an area dedicated to the sport.
Under a giant 1,900 m2 tent where about forty tables were set up, professional demonstrations preceded ball exchanges with an enthusiastic audience eager to discover the seven worlds offered by table tennis. Indeed, there was something for everyone with Baby Ping, Techni Ping, Fit Ping Tonic, Free Ping, and Handi Ping.
The most enthusiastic participants competed either in reality or virtually thanks to Compet’Ping and Virtual Ping.
The winner of Compet’Ping is Maxime Wilhem (18 years old from La Trinité). Consequently, he is invited by the French Table Tennis Federation to Paris Bercy on May 19th* to compete in the final stages of Compet’Ping against the winners of tournaments from different stopover cities of the MONDIAL PING TOUR 2013.
As for virtual game enthusiasts, they were able to compete using the Kinect-Xbox console. The top scorer of the day is Pierre Saillen, who turned 19 today, and who is invited by the French Federation to the final match, which will be played live at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy on May 19th*.
At the end of this launch day, Michel Vassallo, President of the departmental tennis table committee, expressed his satisfaction: “We are very pleased with this day. If the weather was gloomy, the atmosphere under our 1,900 m2 tent facing the Bay of Angels was extraordinary. The public showed up. This afternoon, we recorded more than 25 entries per minute! Around 2,500 people were able to enjoy throughout this launch day of the MONDIAL PING TOUR 2013 high-level demonstrations, notably with two players from the French Team, Enzo Angles and Romain Lorentz.”
