III CIS Games table tennis competitions begin

Today, September 26, 2025, table tennis competitions will start at the Gabala Olympic Sports Complex as part of the III CIS Countries Games – a multi-sport event uniting athletes from eight Commonwealth states. According to the official schedule published on the Games website (cisgames2025.com) and confirmed by the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, the first day is dedicated to team tournaments for men and women. In men's competitions, quarterfinals are planned, where Russia will meet Belarus, and the winner of this pair will advance to the semifinals against Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will face each other in the other semifinal. In women's competitions, the matches will start directly from the semifinals: Uzbekistan – Russia and Belarus – Azerbaijan. Finals and bronze medal matches will take place on September 27.

This is the debut of table tennis at the CIS Games: the program includes 23 sports, with 246 medal sets, and Azerbaijan, as the host, has fielded a strong team of six players, including European champions. Russia, as a multiple leader, is aiming for gold medals, but the Azerbaijanis under the guidance of coach Elvin Aliyev are counting on home support. "We are ready for battle, especially in the women's semifinal against Belarus – it will be spectacular," noted the captain of the Azerbaijani team in an interview with AZERTAC.