ZHENGZHOU, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Steve Dainton, CEO of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), expressed his huge appreciation towards China for making the sport's restart happen.

"We are so thankful to the whole country of China for making RESTART happen," Dainton said as the 2020 ITTF Finals kicked off here on Thursday, also showing his gratitude to the province of Henan, the city of Zhengzhou and the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) "whose work has been outstanding and whose bravery to go ahead with the ITTF Finals has touched our hearts."

As the ITTF Women's World Cup started in Weihai, east China earlier in November, table tennis action was back following an eight-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The wonderful welcome we received on arrival, the huge efforts that have been put in place to make the event a success and to guarantee the health and safety of everyone is simply amazing," Dainton added.

It's the second year in a row that Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, hosts the year-end table tennis competition.

"It is slightly less than one year ago that we were here in this beautiful city and it is so wonderful to be back.

"Since the last time we met, the world has changed dramatically. 2020 has been a year like no other with almost every country affected by the pandemic which has resulted in International Table Tennis events being cancelled or postponed for the previous eight months," Dainton noted.

Dainton thanked players for their great dedication to return to the court.

"We are so happy to see you back in action. Your sacrifice to our sport, coming to the events during difficult times and needing to prepare for events in a way you have never experienced before - we will never forget," he commented. Enditem

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