JEDDAH, 13 April 2007 — Braving adversity is the hallmark of every sportsmen. But bucking tradition along with that feature is the hallmark of a great sportsman.
This was evident in Khalid Al-Harbi, who made a brave switch to table tennis after taking to football as many of the athletes of his time did.
His shift to table tennis came in 1985 as he bucked tradition to excel in a new sport. Coming from a family of sportsmen — one brother a footballer and the other two volleyballers — Al-Harbi followed in their footstep to knock the ball around in a field.
He began playing football till he saw the small white ball being knocked around over a table with precision. It just fascinated him. The control and variety he witnessed during the game hooked him. He immediately joined the Al-Kholoud club in his native city of Al-Qassim, and took to the sport like a duck to a water. Today he is an efficient and famous paddler.
Al-Harbi, who in 2004 became the second Saudi to qualify for the Olympics — the first being Raid Al-Hamdan who made it to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, spoke to Arab News and charted his rise to fame. Al-Harbi, currently working as a physical education teacher at a school in Al-Qassim, said the school played a key role in encouraging him to discover this sport. Having two brothers in volleyball and one in football was also an advantage.
“My brothers were my guiding spirits and they advised me to join the right club to practice and improve my hobby.”
“Since football is the national passion, I too first played football and, I still attend practice with my students. But table tennis is my passion and when I eventually retire, I would love to coach the national team.”
At Al-Kholoud club, he explained, his Egyptian coach taught him the rudiments of the sport and also to love the game. There was also Sulaiman Al-Jaddadi, a table tennis star in his own right, who encouraged him. “He even used to pick me up from home to make sure I did not miss any training. He taught me how to improve and distinguish myself in Al-Kholoud.”
Table tennis is not an easy sport, and Al-Harbi warns that those who want to master it need to start from a very early age of six or seven at least. “Some people believe anyone can play table tennis by just standing up and waving the racket,” he said.
“But it is not just about standing tall. Table tennis requires patience, flexibility, intelligence and fast responsiveness in addition to a good fitness level to move around easily. It is a relatively calm game where aggressiveness is not an advantage,” he said.
Al-Harbi has so much passion for the game, that he named his 18-month-old twin daughters, Leen and Layan, which are Arabic names but also sound similar to Chinese names. “I will teach them how to play and they will hopefully excel in it and beat the Chinese who dominate the sport,” he said.
Al-Harbi remained with Al-Kholoud until 1996, he then joined Al-Hilal club for a year before making a move to Al-Ahli. This was a turning point for him as additional support was given and he had more resources at his disposal to help him hone his skills.
As the captain of the Saudi national team, Al-Harbi has been instrumental in the Kingdom’s success. He led the Kingdom side to the West Asian Championship title in 2004 in Iran. He also placed first in the Islamic Solidarity Games held in Iran in 2003.
“Winning there was indescribable especially since the stadium was filled with the Iranian fans and we beat them on home turf,” he said. Al-Harbi placed first, four consecutive times, in the doubles events in the GCC Table Tennis Championships. Moreover, in 2002 in Yemen, he and his partner won the Arab Table Tennis Championship. He also represented Saudi Arabia in the World Military Championship for Table Tennis in Dubai and won the 1997 edition. Recently in 2005, he placed third in the Arab Table Tennis Championship.
He has participated in seven Table Tennis World Cups and considers it a great exposure that has added a lot to his performance. Playing doubles is his specialty and, he says, having the right partner like Abdulaziz Al-Abbad makes a big difference.
“With him the game is more enjoyable and interesting, as we both understand and complement each other. We have been playing together for seven years and even though he is from Ittihad, and I from Ahli, we are like brothers and nothing else matters.”
He says his first international event, which was in 1992 when he represented the Saudi national team in the Arab Table Tennis Championship for amateurs in Cairo where he placed second in the team’s competition, was unforgettable.
“It was unforgettable because of two things; the team’s success and the false news about my death in the training camp in Manchester, UK, before the championship kicked off.”
He was 17 at the time and was overwhelmed because he was flying outside the Kingdom for the first time, and as a result, forgot to call his family during the 25 days of training camp.
“Things went badly or deadly. Members of Al-Kholoud club started calling the hotel where the team was staying asking for Khalid Beneder, without mentioning my last name,” he said.
Al-Harbi’s family thought he was dead and were awaiting his body to be flown back. Luckily one of his friends called the hotel and asked for Khalid Al-Harbi.
“I answered the phone and he was shocked. I did not understand his surprise. He kept telling me he couldn’t believe I was alive and said that Al-Qassim was mourning my death and my family was waiting for my dead body to arrive.”
Since then, no matter where he goes, he makes sure to give his family a contact number and calls on a daily basis just so they don’t get worried.
Al-Harbi said that even 16 years after he joined the national team he still cannot get used to being away from his family during the long training camps abroad. “That is why whenever I have spare time I try to spend it with my family, especially my two daughters,” he said.
The late Raid Al-Hamdan is Al-Harbi’s role model. “In my view, he is still the best Saudi, Arab and Gulf champion. He managed to play and present Saudi Arabia in a good light.”
Table tennis, he added, is catching on and already has a lot of fans. He says, however, that too much attention is given to professional teams, like Ittihad and Ahli, and not enough to amateur teams.
“They need to be exposed to competitions and training camps. They are tomorrow’s professionals and we need to invest in the younger generation to guarantee that Saudi players continue to advance in the game.”
Al-Harbi says he wishes to meet the great Swede Jan-Ove Waldner, who is known as the Mozart of table tennis, and play against him one day.
