The 45th World Championships Through The Eye Of The Video Camera

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The 45th World Championships Through The Eye Of The Video Camera

BY GARY RUDERMAN, Owner-Producer, Reflex Sports

PART 1 of 5

We arrived in Eindhoven with a feeling of relief that we had escaped from our up-to-the-last-moment fears about going to Belgrade. We could not imagine how the tournament could have been held in a city that was so wracked with turmoil and eventual destruction.

We were now ready to see for ourselves whether or not the Chinese could reclaim their dominance of the table tennis world. We had followed their progress this year in the pro tour, and hoped that Samsonov, Waldner, Persson or Primorac would be strong enough to balance the competition. It turned out that we were not to be disappointed.

The tournament hall in Eindhoven is in a beautiful park setting. As we got closer, we saw that several tents and other outbuildings had been set up to upgrade the site of the 1998 European Championships into a venue capable of conducting a world championship event. The organizers accomplished a remarkable feat in such a short time.

Not too much to report in the opening days. Waldner was counted out from accomplishing a three-peat, but his play early on was reminiscent of the high level he demonstrated in winning the Olympics in 1992 and the previous World Championships in 1997. At this point, I saw a glimmer of hope that Waldner would again show that he can never be counted out.

Early rounds Men's Singles

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