24-year-old Saudi arrived in Japan after 23-day training camp in Germany TOKYO: Saudi table tennis player Ali Al-Khadrawi will on Saturday launch his bid for Olympic success when he faces Lubomir Jancarik of the Czech Republic. The first round of the table tennis competition will take place at Tokyo Metropolitan Gym in Shibuya and 24-year-old Al-Khadrawi will be in action on table No. 4 at 9 a.m. Saudi Arabian time. The Kingdom’s sole representative in table tennis at the Games arrived in Tokyo after a 23-day preparation camp in Germany under the supervision of Egyptian coach Youssef Rabie. The table tennis singles competitions are played in a knockout system, each match decided over the best of seven sets. Following in the footsteps of his father and older brother, Al-Khadrawi took up the sport 10 years ago, and within five years he was representing his country internationally. His first appearance in Saudi colors came at the 2016 World Top 16 Championship in India, and two years later he claimed gold in the team and individual categories at the West Asian Championship U-18 in Jordan. He continued his rise through the ranks with another podium finish that same year, a silver at the West Asian Championship U-21, also held in Jordan. Al-Khadrawi secured his qualification for the Tokyo Olympics by winning the West Asia Championship 2020 in Amman.