Liebherr Men's World Cup 2009 Moscow Live

Well, table tennis fans, it has come down to this. The ITTF hosts the Liebherr Mens World Cup for 2009 in Moscow. The event takes place in the Luzhniki Sports Complex and with the event comes a brand new format. For one thing, the number of participants is nineteen this year, up from sixteen, and that doesn't count the 6 continental representatives as well the top player from the host nation. The top 11 from the September rankings are invited and a wildcard is handed to the world number one in the under-18 category.

Players from Japan, Korea, China and Germany make up the list, with two players for each association. World number two Ma Long from China is one of those. Also playing is Robert Frank from Oceania, who is ranked 588^th. The defending champion from last year was China's Wang Hao, who also won the year before. However, the spot is wide open for anyone competing because he was unable to attend to cinch yet a third title. China still may take home this trophy however as they have Ma Long as well as Chen Qi.

This year will be a little different as the Intercontinental Cup will be held first, with the four representatives from Africa, Latin American, Oceania and North America will all be put together in one group. The winner of the Intercontinental Cup will move on to join the other fifteen players for the next stage. This competition will feature a prize purse of $150,000 dollars. If you want to watch this exciting table tennis competition simply click on the banners on this page and get your membership. It all starts Friday, October 16^th.