The player roster is as follows: Jan-Ove Waldner(Sweden), Kim Taek Soo(Korea), Johnny Huang(Canada), Andrzej Grubba(Poland), Petr Korbel(Czechoslovakia), Mikael Appelgren(Sweden), David Zhuang(USA), and Sean Lonergan(USA).
The event will begin on Saturday afternoon with a round-robin competition. The four players with the best records in this event will advance to the semifinals which, along with the finals, will be held on Sunday afternoon.
Emmy award winning TV and radio broadcaster Mario Machado will be hosting this event for the third consecutive year. Mr. Machado performed the same role during the historic Ping-pong diplomacy matches held between China and the USA in 1972.
Gilbert Cup event-sponsors include Arthur Gilbert, Arden Realty Inc., Christie's Auction House (London), Crystal Breath, Donic Table Tennis (Germany), Hansen's Beverages, Lehman Brothers, T.G. Enterprises, The Hotel Summit - Bel Air, and Wells Fargo Bank.
Gilbert Cup tournaments have benefited the following charitable groups: Catholic Big Brothers, Jewish Big Brothers and Jewish Big Sisters, The Inner City Games of Los Angeles, and the Alzheimer Foundation of Los Angeles.