On April 12, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba will welcome the Mayor's Cup Youth Table Tennis Championship to Intermediate School 126 located at 80 Catherine Street (between Monroe St. and Cherry St.) on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The tournament is open to all New York City children of all skill levels and will feature school team and singles competitions in a round-robin format. The Mayor's Cup is sanctioned by USA Table Tennis -- the national governing body of table tennis. Matches will begin at 9:30am and the championship matches will begin at approximately 2:00pm.

"New York City's rich table tennis tradition dates back to the first National Ping-Pong Championship which was held in 1931 at the Hotel Pennsylvania," said Commissioner Podziba. "The first table tennis national champion, Marcus Schussheim, began playing the sport at the age of seven here in New York City. By creating competitive events such as the Mayor's Cup Table Tennis Championship, we can foster the growth of the sport in the Big Apple and develop the next Marcus Schussheim here in our own backyard."

The event will include singles and team events in the following categories: Boys' High School Singles, Girls' High School Singles, Boys' Middle School Singles, Girls' High School Singles, and Co-ed Elementary School Singles. In addition to the eight competition tables, the tournament venue will also feature a practice table with a table tennis robot. Coaches will also be on hand to give out expert advice.

"We are very pleased to once again partner with the New York City Sports Commission to host this fantastic event," said Ben Nisbet, Director of American Youth Table Tennis Organization. "The tournament is creating tremendous excitement in local table tennis community and in the schools where we offer programs. We wish each student-athlete the best of luck as they strive for the prestigious title of Mayor's Cup Champion."

For more information, please visit www.aytto.org or our Mayor's Cup Youth Table Tennis page.

American Youth Table Tennis Organization (AYTTO) is dedicated to providing free table tennis lessons and high level instruction to the youth of New York City. The tournament is designed to bring school-aged children and their parents together for one day to meet, play and display their table tennis skills.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.