Seven months ago, the Oman Open was in full swing. On March 15, Japan's Hitomi Sato won the women's singles event, while Sharath Kamal Achanta of India claimed the gentlemen's equivalent. Although there was concern preceding the event over the emerging COVID-19 virus, few would have suspected at the time how the ensuing pandemic would reshape everyone's life in 2020. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) was forced to cancel or indefinitely postpone all competition after the Oman Open, a moratorium still in effect today. Over the summer, pandemic protocols were developed for table tennis. The format was tested in a series of domestic tournaments in Germany and Sweden, with encouraging results. Now comes news of the #RESTART series, the official resumption of ITTF competition. Both the women's and men's World Cup tournaments were moved to China from Thailand and Germany, respectively. The prestigious Grand Slam events will both be held in Weihai, China at the Weihai Nanhai Olympic Center, a 4,000-seat venue which recently hosted the 2020 China National Table Tennis Championships. The women's tournament will run November 8-10, with the gentlemen following suit November 13-15. The ITTF also spilled the beans as to the whereabouts of the 2020 ITTF Finals, the season-culminating tournament running November 19-22. Just like back in the innocent days of 2019, the Finals will occupy the 16,000-seat Zhengzhou Olympic Sports Center. According to ITTF President Thomas Weikert, protecting the health of the players and fans was the most important criterion for resumption. "Ensuring a safe return to international table tennis has been our utmost priority ever since the pandemic broke out," said Weikert. "I am delighted that... we have managed to get events back up and running before the end of 2020." This November, eight months after the batted balls and squeaking shoes fell into a silent incubation, professional players will once again be able to scream with inappropriate exuberance every time their opponents shank a push. Like a proud mother, Weikert will surely be aglow to watch his bouncing baby grow.

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