The South Island Table Tennis Open Championships (Individual and Para), held at the Edgar Centre, was a three-day event which started on Friday.
It attracted 146 entries, including 50 players from Otago.
One of them was wheelchair user John Marrable, of Dunedin, who said the event had been "excellent".
"This will be the most I think we’ve had — wheelchair players — in one of the South Island events," he said.
He hoped more people would pick up the sport.
"It’s a game anyone can play and it’s very inclusive," he said.
Marrable first took up the sport in 1967 as part of rehabilitation and began competing in 1976.
When he first started, he competed only against able-bodied players.
However, he felt the para class allowed him to compete on a more level playing field, while still testing himself by playing in the open grades.
"Unfortunately, they’ve been complaining ... they say it’s cold," Marrable joked.
Grant Cleland, who Marrable faced off against in the para class semifinals, had travelled from Christchurch for the event and agreed it had been "really good".
He appreciated that the sport taught him new skills and that he could meet and play with all sorts of people.
Marrable took part in the final yesterday afternoon, but was beaten by Auckland player James Goulding.
Table Tennis Otago president Chris Button said hosting the national event meant a lot to the community.
"It gives our local players the chance to compete at a high level on home ground, and it brings people together around the sport," he said.
He was proud to see para table tennis growing.
"It creates opportunities for people of all abilities to get involved, builds confidence, and shows how inclusive our sport can be," he said.
The top two players from the U19, U15 and open singles events would be automatically selected to represent New Zealand at the ITTF-Oceania Senior and Youth Table Tennis Championship, to be held in Australia later this year.
