After a three-month delay, the annual Goulburn Table Tennis Invitational tournament will return at the end of January, much to the delight of players across the state.
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With 20 places available across two divisions, the Goulburn Table Tennis Association expects spots to fill up quickly, as they always do.
"We are expecting a turnout and a big tournament," GTTA treasurer, Nicola Fraser, said.
"It will be one of the first ones for the year, so people will be keen to get their levels up again and kick-start their year with this tournament. We're excited."
The tournament, now in its fifth year, is typically held at the end of October. However, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns in place across the state late last year, it was postponed to this month.
Despite the rocketing coronavirus case numbers currently being recorded in NSW, the GTTA will continue its preparations until told otherwise.
"At this stage, we are still planning on running the tournament as scheduled," Fraser said.
"It doesn't look like there will be any more restrictions other than social distancing, and of course face masks will have to be worn throughout the day.
"At this stage, all systems are going ahead unless anything comes out between now and then."
The tournament is always the most popular fixture on the GTTA calendar, and consistently draws dozens of players from across the state.
In the five years across which the competition has run, Fraser said the association has been thrilled with the support shown by the broader table tennis community.
"It has just grown in the enthusiasm and it is now a regional tournament that's on people's calendars," she said.
"Table tennis is a sport where people that really enjoy it like to travel to play, and we've got tournaments around the regions throughout the year. This is another one that people have added to their calendar, and I'm not sure that it's surprised us because it's always been popular.
"It's fantastic that it has been embraced by the table tennis community."
The Goulburn Invitational Southern Country Teams Championships Table Tennis Tournament will take place at the Goulburn Table Tennis Centre from January 29 to 30.
Entries will be open until January 14, but if there are openings still available beyond that date the GTTA will accept further nominations.
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