Goose: What are you doing? Maverick: Just wondering who's the best. - Top Gun

Almost every Korean work unit has a ping-pong table somewhere on site and competition is fierce for top rank. Table tennis can be serious business, with contenders practicing over lunch break and investing in top of the line paddles to gain a minor edge. Everyone knows who is the best, and like Miramar, the plaque for the alternates is in the restroom.

From May 2-7 the Korean Federation for the Protection of the Disabled (KFPD) will host the '2017 Spring Table Tennis Competition for Persons with Disabilities and Amateurs' at Kim Il Sung University Gymnasium in Pyongyang. This year's event is open to foreign participants.

The competition will feature doubles matches and is open to disabled and foreign amateur athletes above the age of 12. Local female amateurs above 35 years old and local male amateurs above 40 years old. Individuals wanting to join the competition will be paired with a local competitor.

Last year's event had approximately 300 participants.This year's event follows the DPRK's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2016.

Registration is open from March 20 - April 7 and the registration fee is 50 USD. We will provide more relevant information on the event as it becomes available.

Travelers on our May Day Short Tour (April 29 - May 4) and May Day Long Tour (April 29 - May 6) will be have the option of joining the event for a morning or afternoon. The last day to register for these tours is also April 7.

Serious competitors should book a private tour over the course of the whole competition. Koryo Tours can provide discounts on travel costs for participants willing to take part in the event from start to finish, student groups, and established civic or non-profit organisations active in work related to disabilities issues. Please contact our Private Tours section (privatetours [at] koryogroup.com) for more details.

The Koryo Courier is a regular posting with the latest news from Koryo Tours.