ITTF No.4 (Jan) Final (2023_01_12)

PERSONALITY
Clear Vision
Immense satisfaction but Daniel Valero is
not the type of person to rest on his laurels,
one project complete, think for split
second, then start on the next!
“I really don’t know why I do it; I just
cannot say no.” smiled Daniel Valero.
Simply, despite all the trials and
tribulations that may accrue, for Daniel
Valero, promoting the sport of table
tennis is in his blood. Most importantly
he has a very clear vision of what is
needed.
“Table tennis is a spectacular sport
so we must present the sport in a
spectacular way”, he stressed. “We need
to make the sport is attractive to watch,
we need to consider big screens not just
in the venue but outside so people can
see that table tennis is spectacular. We
need to put on a show.”
Most certainly that goal was achieved
at the Andalucia 2022 World Para Table
Tennis Championships in Granada.
Para table tennis was presented in
dazzling fashion, a dimension that a
decade ago was a dream; the Palacio
Municipal de Deportes de Granada was
a sight to behold, a setting the players
richly deserved.
“For me Formula One racing is boring
but look how well they present their
sport, they put on a fantastic show; we
must follow their example, table tennis
organisers must have vision”, stressed
Daniel Valero. “I think today, people
still remember the 2016 World Veteran
Championships and the 2018 European
Championships; in time to come I hope
they will remember the 2022 World Para
Championships.”
Miguel Angel Machado and Daniel Valero at the 2022 World Para Championships
Memorable Events
Certainly, the tournaments in Alicante remain
strong in the mind of Daniel Valero.
“Preparing for the World Veteran
Championships, my team called me to
tell me they had set up all the tables;
I went into the hall, there were rows
of tables as far as the eye could see”,
reminisced Daniel Valero. “Thinking
back to 2018, when the teams entered
the arena for the first matches, the
lights flashing remains strong in the
memory.”
Alicante responded as did Andalucia,
an autonomous region of southern
Spain, the local government being
centred in Seville, Granada is the capital
city in the province of the same name.
It is an area known for table tennis
excellence; for many years, the local
club, La General was prominent in
Europe, Victor Sanchez, former Spanish
international hails from the area as does
Raul Calin, the ITTF Secretary General.
“We contacted Granada and
immediately they supported the
proposal to stage the World Para
Championships”, explained Daniel
Valero. “They stressed they wanted the
tournament.”
Presentation of the highest level in
Granada but being a Para tournament
there were specific problems to
overcome.
“It was not easy to find hotels that
could adapt to wheelchair users; it was
the same organising transport”, stressed
Daniel Valero. “We had to adapt the
venue for wheelchair users; we installed
10 special toilets, two ramps for the
practice area and two ramps for the
entrance.”
Problems overcome, the effect
was stunning, high praise, just one
dissenting voice, one man who believed
things could have been done better,
higher levels achieved, the tournament
director.
“My goals are never satisfied”, the
comment underlines determination
and resolve. It endorses the fact that
major tournaments in Spain are in good
hands, safe hands, the very safe hands
of a certain Daniel Valero.
In Granada a high level of publicity outside
the venue
The 2016 World Veteran Champinships at the Instituto Ferial Alicanto
22-ITTF Magazine ITTF Magazine- 23