Maldives’ national female table tennis team has flown off to Sweden for the World Table Tennis Championship being held from April 29 to May 6 in Halmstad.

The Maldivian team consists of three players: Fathimath Dheema Ali, Aishath Rafa Nazim, and Mueena Mohamed, and Fathimath Dheema Ali who, at 10 years of age, Dheema will be the youngest player competing in the championship.

Mohamed Yasir will be coaching the team, and Zuhair Ibrahim, the vice president of the Table Tennis Association, will be acting as manager. The association’s president Ali Rasheed has also gone to Sweden with the team to join the International Table Tennis Federation congress.

The team has achieved notable accolades recently. In the South Asian Junior and Cadet Championship, 10-year-old Dheema won silver medal in the under-12 category by winning the semi-final with a score of 3-0.

Rafa, the 14-year old Maldivian champion, achieved four bronze medals in the tournament. She won two bronze medals in the singles event of cadet and junior category and won bronze medals from the doubles event of cadet and junior category with partner Laisha.