Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships: Pakistan team pulls out of tournament in India due to visa issues

Cuttack: Ghana, Guyana and Pakistan on Monday pulled out of the 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships beginning here on Wednesday, bringing the number of participating teams down to 12. The final list of nations that are competing here include Australia, Bangladesh, Cyprus, England, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa, Singapore and Wales. [caption id=“attachment_3754025” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] While Ghana and Guyana did not get government clearance, Pakistan pulled out due to visa issues. Their withdrawal may have taken the sheen off the championships which began with 17 entries — Uganda and Jersey had withdrawn citing the same reason as Ghana and Guyana. Meanwhile, Wales and South Africa were the first two teams to arrive here while Australia, England and Malaysia are expected to reach in the wee hours of Tuesday. The Indian team members, who returned from Geelong after their participation in the ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open, will be arriving on Tuesday morning.