Table Tennis Olympic Trials to Be Held At SMC

The Santa Monica College (SMC) campus will be hosting the Olympic Trials for Table Tennis event from Feb. 27 through March 1 in the Corsair Gym starting at 11 a.m. Over 100 male and female athletes from the United States will compete head-to-head for a spot on the Olympic team in the Summer 2020 games in Tokyo, Japan. This marks the second time SMC has hosted an intercollegiate event. Last year the school hosted the Pan American Trials games.

The event will feature some of the top table-tennis players in the U.S., and the top eight-males who are already seeded will bypass the first day and play Friday. Elaine Roque, the Chairman for the Kinesiology and Athletics department, helped bring the event to SMC.

“These trials are to select our men’s, and women’s team members,” said Roque. “My understanding is that the top rate male and female are already on the team, and this event will select the other two men and women.”

SMC’s Table Tennis team has had a history of successes, defeating several teams -- including USC, UCLA, Cal State Northridge, Stanford -- and winning the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association (NCTTA) Southern California West Team Division. They are also the only college team inducted into the California Table Tennis Hall of Fame, and this reputation was a factor in leading SMC to hold the Olympic Trials for the Table Tennis event.

Santa Monica College students are able to attend the event for free with their valid SMC I.D., and be a part of what Roque would describe as the athletes’ “Road to Tokyo”. The first match will begin Thurs., Feb. 27 starting off with the Men’s Preliminary qualifying round of 32 at 11 a.m., followed by the Women’s stage Round 1 at 11:30 a.m.

Infographic by James Shippy