The Competitions:

The 2005 U.S. Open consists of two events: the 2005 Liebherr U.S. Open Pro Tour which is part of the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Pro Tour Circuit and the 2005 U.S. Open competition which is the biggest domestic table tennis event in the U.S. featuring more than 60 categories of competitions for every age, gender, skill level, and ability; Approximately 700 professional and recreational players from 35 countries are expected to compete in these events for more than $100,000 in prize money.

The Venue:

Both the 2005 Liebherr U.S. Open Pro Tour & U.S. Open events will take place throughout the week at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward Country Convention Center with the ITTF Pro Tour Finals happening on Sunday night. Due to port security laws in Ft. Lauderdale a government issued photo ID will be required to enter the Convention Center.

Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center

1950 Eisenhower Boulevard

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316

The Players:

USA National Team members: Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.), Jasna Reed (Clinton Twp., Mich.), Tawny Banh (San Gabriel, Calif.), Jackie Lee (San Francisco, Calif.), Cheng Yinghua (Boyds, Md.), and David Zhuang (West Windsor, NJ.), will be a part of this sensational tournament. The USA Table Tennis National Junior and Cadet teams will also be on-site competing.

Gao Jun (Gaithersburg, Md.) is coming off of a fresh victory from the 2005 Chinese Taipei Open where she took the Women’s Singles and Doubles crown.

Thirty five countries are expected to compete including top countries such as Korea, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Croatia, Greece, etc. Also countries such as Kosovo, Barbados, Armenia, India, Togo, etc. are expected to attend.

Schedule of Events:

•U.S. Open – Thursday, July 7 through Sunday, July 10 (see attached event program for starting times)

•ITTF US Pro Tour (2005 Liebherr U.S. Open – A Major ITTF Pro Tour Event)

- Qualifying –Thursday, July 7, 10:00 am

- Rounds 1 & 2 – Friday, July 8, 10:00 am

- Quarterfinals Session – Saturday, July 9, 4:00 pm

- Semifinals Session – Sunday, July 10, 10:00 am

- Finals Session – Sunday, July 10, 5:00 pm

(See attached schedule for all rounds)

All times are starting times. Tickets are required for the Pro Tour for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals Sessions (limited seating available). Additional scheduling information is available at www.usatt.org. Media credentialing requests should be sent to Tommy Perkins at programs@usatt.org. To reserve tickets, call USA Table Tennis at 719-866-4583 or you may purchase tickets at the event .

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USATT is the national organizing body for table tennis in the United States. Created in 1933 and headquartered in Colorado Springs, its staff serves the over 8,000 members and 240 clubs that are affiliated with USATT. The 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)

ITTF consists of the affiliated table tennis organizations who govern the sport in accordance with the principles of the ITTF. The objects of the ITTF are to uphold the principles of the ITTF and to develop the spirit of friendship and mutual assistance among Associations and players; to regulate relations between Associations and between Associations and other organizations and to seek continual improvement in the technical standard of table tennis and in participation in the sport throughout the world.

Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world, with more than 300 million people playing the sport worldwide (source: English Table Tennis Association) including 13.5 million people in the US (source: Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association).

Media Contacts:

Tommy Perkins

USA Table Tennis

(719) 866-4583 ext. 6 office

(719) 632-6071

programs@usatt.org

Larry Hodges

USA Table Tennis

(240) 686-0127 office

(240) 994-7144 mobile

larry@larrytt.org