Bhubaneswar, Jul 1 (IANS): The Odisha government on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for hosting the upcoming 21st Commonwealth Table Tennis (TT) Championships.

The championship will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack from July 17-22.

The MoU that the state signed with the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and the Odisha State Table Tennis Association (OSTTA), covered various obligations for the official conduct of the international event.

Sports Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev signed the MoU with TTFI senior Vice-President S.N. Sultan and OSTTA President L.N. Gupta in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera.

"Today's MoU signing for hosting the 21st edition of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in Cuttack is an important step for us in promoting sports and especially table tennis in the state," said the Chief Minister.

He expressed the hope that the event will bring renewed focus on table tennis, in which India has been performing well in recent times.

The Sports Minister said this championship will see participation from some of the best players from across the globe.

Commending the Odisha government, TTFI advisor Dhanraj Choudhary said: "Odisha, with its finest sports infrastructure and expertise, has a global recognition today for hosting international sporting events of repute.

"We are thankful to the state government for organizing the six-day Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. We are confident participants and spectators will leave with a positive experience."