The USA Table Tennis US Open once again will be held at the DeVos Place Convention Center (303 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503) on June 30 - July 4, 2012. 2010’s prior success, which led to the event returning in 2012 and 2014, included 750 players from all over the world competing for $30,000 in prize money.
For 2012, the US Open has partnered with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF, the world governing body of table tennis) who is providing $30,000 toward sponsorship prize money.
This donation helps the Local Organizing Committee’s goal of tripling the original prize money to $100,000 for the 2012 event. The ITTF also hopes that such a significant donation will bring awareness to the sport and raise the level of table tennis within the USA.
In addition to the prize money the ITTF is bringing an International Junior Circuit Event (IJCE) to the
USA Table Tennis US Open 2012 event. The last IJCE in the USA was in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2002.
Improving on the 2010 statistics, the Local Organizing Committee aims to have 1,000 competitors from 30 countries at the US Open 2012. Among these 1,000 athletes they hope to have 10 of the top 50 men and women in the world rankings. Lastly, they would like to bring back the defending men and women’s champions from the 2010 and 2011 USA Table Tennis US Opens.
Local Organizing Committee Chairs and Table Tennis Hall of Famers, Dell & Connie Sweeris are
currently in China for Ping Pong Diplomacy’s 40th Anniversary. Connie was a part of the 1971 historic trip between the US Table Tennis team and the Chinese team, which opened diplomatic relations between China and the US. In 1972 Dell was part of the US Table Tennis team that hosted the Chinese in a seven city tour. While celebrating the Anniversary the Sweeris’ will be promoting both the Grand Rapids hosted US Open 2012 & 2014 tournaments.
“Our work with the USA Table Tennis to include the ITTF International Junior Circuit event with the
2012 US Open lends to the overriding mission of increasing the visibility of this sport in the US,” stated Dell Sweeris LOC Chair. “The ITTF contribution of $30,000 toward the prize money greatly enhances this event and positively contributes to this overall effort,” he added.
The US Open is the largest table tennis competition in North America and features hundreds of top
rated domestic and international athletes. Participants compete in 60 event divisions on 90 tables.
Since 1996, the US Open has been held in Anaheim, CA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV, Grand Rapids, MI and was held in Milwaukee, WI earlier this year.
Mike Guswiler, Executive Director of the West Michigan Sports Commission commented, “We are very excited by the return of the 2012 US Open to Grand Rapids. The community response and spectator traffic we saw in 2010 will only increase with the addition of prize money and level of play we can expect for 2012.”
More information about the USA Table Tennis 2012 US Open can be found at www.usopengrandrapids.com or by contacting Mike Guswiler at 616-233-3561.
About the West Michigan Sports Commission:
The mission of the West Michigan Sports Commission is to promote Michigan’s West Coast as the
premier venue for hosting a diverse level of youth and amateur sporting events, enhancing the
economy and quality of life in the region.
About USA Table Tennis:
USATT is the national governing body for table tennis in the United States. Created in 1933 and
headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo. its staff serves the 9,000-plus members and nearly 300 clubs that are affiliated with USATT. It oversees a wide variety of membership services, the national teams, rules of the game and numerous online instructional and historical articles. USATT is governed and run by the nine-member board of directors, committees and professional staff. USATT is affiliated with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the world governing body for table tennis, as well as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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