The grand opening ceremony of the Seamaster 23rd ITTF Asian Championships is held at the Kempinski Hotel in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on April 8. [Photo by Yu Shen/ chinadaily.com.cn]

The grand opening ceremony of the Seamaster 23rd ITTF Asian Championships was held at the Kempinski Hotel in Wuxi, Jiangsu province on April 8.

Cai Zhenhua, President of the Asian Table Tennis Union and the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and Li Xiaomin, Party secretary of Wuxi, attended the ceremony.

President Cai awarded an honorary plaque to the Wuxi government to praise its efforts and support for the championships.

Cai Zhenhua(L), President of the Asian Table Tennis Union and the Chinese Table Tennis Association, awards Huang Qin(R), deputy mayor of Wuxi, an honorary plaque to thank for the government's efforts and support for the championships. [Photo by Yu Shen/ chinadaily.com.cn]

Organized by the Asian Table Tennis Union, it is the first time for Wuxi to host such a high-level event. The tournament takes place at Wuxi Stadium from April 9 to 16, and includes Men's and Women's singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and Men's and Women's team events. A total of 248 athletes from 29 countries and regions compete in the eight-day competition.

Grand slam champions and Olympic medalists Zhang Jike, Ma Long, and Ding Ning will take part in the Chinese team.

Olympic gold medalist Zhang Jike attends the opening ceremony of the Seamaster 23rd ITTF Asian Championships in Wuxi, April 8. [Photo by Yu Shen/ chinadaily.com.cn]