The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) recently conducted a successful training program for match officials in Sarajevo Bosnia-Herzegovina. The event organized in collaboration with the Table Tennis Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (TTF BiH) marks a significant milestone in the Federation’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of umpiring in the region. Under the leadership of President Mirsad PAJEVIĆ TTF BiH has prioritized the training and development of umpires to ensure the country’s readiness to host international table tennis events. President PAJEVIĆ has highlighted the importance of professional officiating as a key factor in making Bosnia-Herzegovina a dynamic player in the global table tennis arena. “We are committed to elevating our Federation to meet the standards required for international competitions and training our umpires is one of the most important steps in this journey ” emphasized PAJEVIC. For the first time in Bosnia-Herzegovina the ITTF Basic Umpire Course was organized a crucial development in preparing local umpires for upcoming events. The timing of the course was especially important as it coincided with the ongoing WTT Youth Contender tournament in Sarajevo. Additionally it serves as part of the broader preparation strategy for the ETTU European Team Championship Stage 1 scheduled to take place in January 2025. Over the course of two days ten aspiring umpires completed the ITTF Basic Umpire Course earning certificates that will enable them to officiate at both national and international levels. An additional ten participants attended a one-day session to gain practical experience in umpiring. President PAJEVIĆ expressed his gratitude to the instructor Asko RASINEN and the ETTU URC for their steadfast support of BiH TTF and the Bosnian Umpires and Referees Committee (BiH URC). “The collaboration with international bodies like the ETTU URC is vital for the growth of our sport in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We are truly thankful for their guidance and expertise ” PAJEVIĆ said. As the country gears up to host more international events such as the ETTU European Team Championship this initiative reflects Bosnia-Herzegovina’s commitment to building a strong foundation for the future of table tennis within its borders. The successful completion of this training program is just one of many steps being taken to elevate the level of the sport and the professionalism of its officials.
DTTB Assembly elects new Supervisory Board
The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) has taken the next step in its major structural reform. At the extraordinary Federal Assembly in Frankfurt am Main the full assembly elected the new Supervisory Board. The candidates received overwhelming majorities with some receiving no opposing votes at all. The new president is Konrad GRILLMEYER who has been leading the Bavarian Table Tennis Association since 2016. One of the most well-known of the all vice-presidents on the Supervisory Board is ZDF sports reporter and presenter table tennis expert and active player Norbert KÖNIG. His new colleague at the DTTB Christian SOMMER is CEO and Chairman of the German Centre for Industry and Trade Shanghai a subsidiary of Bayern LB and has outstanding contacts and knowledge of the business world. Dr. Hans-Jürgen HACKENBERG the former DTTB Vice President for Finance has had a long career as the commercial director of two major university hospitals. Along with Konrad GRILLMEYER Uwe SCHLÜTTER is the second serving president from DTTB member associations on the members’ list.He has led the Thuringian Association since 2014 and as the managing director of the SPD parliamentary group in the Thuringian state parliament is an insider of the political scene. Michael BACHTLER is the former head of the traditional table tennis company JOOLA. As the manager Andreas PREUSS is the creative mind and driving force behind German record champion Borussia Düsseldorf. As Vice President for Youth the Thuringian entrepreneur Ralf TRESSELT had already been elected by the Youth Council and was confirmed by the Federal Assembly for the new Board. Former automobile manager Hans Wilhelm GÄB in his role as DTTB Honorary President remains an ex-officio member of the new Supervisory Board. The list is not completed. The proposal that German representatives in ITTF or ETTU executive bodies have a position on the DTTB Supervisory Board by virtue of their office was accepted but still needs to be formally implemented in the statutes. The Board consist of the President Honorary President eight Vice Presidents (7 elected or confirmed members by the Federal Assembly plus max. two executive board members from ITTF/ETTU) The tenth-largest Olympic sports association will be led by a small salaried full-time Managing Board in future. The members of the new Supervisory Board which will remain unpaid will appoint the Managing Board and coordinate with it the policy guidelines of the association.
Latvia to Host ETTU Coaching Seminar 2024 in Iecava
The Table Tennis Federation of Latvia (LTTF) in collaboration with the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is set to host a Coaching Seminar on September 28-29 2024 at the Sports Hall of Iecava Primary School in Iecava Latvia. This event will provide coaches with an opportunity to gain valuable insights into performance training meaningful practice and exercise optimization in table tennis. The seminar will be led by Eva JELER a globally renowned high-performance table tennis coach and sports director with an illustrious 45-year career. JELER has worked with a wide spectrum of athletes ranging from youth players to Olympic medalists and world champions earning her an outstanding reputation in the sport. She has an exceptional track record in identifying developing and coaching athletes who have collectively won 25 Olympic World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals. JELER is highly accomplished in creating national high-performance pathway structures and has served in various elite coaching roles: National Coach for the German Table Tennis Federation (1983-2020) including National Head Coach (1989-1996) and National Head Coach for Youth Teams (1996-2020). National Coach for Table Tennis Australia (2021-2022). Her participation in the seminar supported by the ETTU will offer attending coaches world-class training insights and expertise. Seminar Schedule: Saturday September 28 2024 18:00 – Session 1 19:15 – Coffee Break 19:30 – Session 2 20:00 – End of the First Day Sunday September 29 2024 09:00 – Session 3 10:30 – Coffee Break 10:55 – Session 4 12:15 – Coffee Break 12:25 – Session 5 13:30 – End of the Seminar The seminar will be conducted in English and is free for all participating coaches. This two-day event offers a rare opportunity to learn from a leading figure in the sport making it an invaluable resource for coaches aiming to enhance their skills and improve their coaching outcomes at both youth and senior levels.
Silver Medal for European Champion Dang QIU in Macao
European champion Dang QIU clinched in Macao a silver medal. At the WTT Champions tournament which has a prize pool of $800 000 the Düsseldorf player was only defeated in the final by the in-form Chinese player LIN Shidong. As a consolation Dang Qiu takes home $27 000 in prize money and a significant 700 world ranking points which will see the current No. 13 player move up to No. 11 in the new world rankings on Tuesday. The 19-year-old Macau champion LIN Shidong will climb to No. 7 after his title win. Dang QIU is the first European to reach the final in the World Table Tennis Champions Series an event previously dominated by Asian players. This year two more Champions tournaments are scheduled in Europe: first from October 22 to 27 in Montpellier the home of Olympic bronze medalist Felix LEBRUN and then from November 3 to 10 at the Süwag Energie ARENA in Frankfurt marking the second German edition of the event. Dang QIU only stumbled in the final against Lin Shidong who has been in exceptional form for weeks. The U19 world champion who has already joined the ranks of Chinese superstars won singles doubles and mixed titles at the WTT Contender Almaty in Kazakhstan the previous Sunday. He dominated the competition in Macao as well. On his way to the final Lin defeated three top-10 players in a row including Japan’s Tomokazu HARIMOTO Frankfurt Champions winner LIN Jun-Yu (Taiwan) and world No. 1 WANG Chuqin. For European champion Dang QIU the runner-up finish at the prestigious tournament marks a fantastic start to the post-Olympic season. Following his European singles title two years ago his second-place finish at the Europe Top 16 in February 2023 and his semifinal run at the WTT Finals in January 2024 this result is one of the most significant achievements in his international singles career. Despite the loss in the final Dang QIU took a very positive view of his performance: “I didn’t have specific preparation for the Champions tournament so I came to Macao without great expectations. I’m very happy to have reached the final.” Even before the final it had been a stellar week for the European champion who traveled to Macao after a TTBL match with minor adductor issues and without targeted preparation. “I had no great expectations before the tournament ” admitted Dang Qiu who grew in confidence and quality with each round. His health issues had subsided by his opening win against South Korea’s LIM Jonghoon a performance that continued with a victory over former world finalist and doubles champion Mattias FALCK (Sweden) in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals the 27-year-old penholder player demonstrated his rising form by coming back from two sets down to beat world No. 4 LIANG Jingkun (China) the Incheon Champions winner in a highly impressive display. Dang QIU then earned a well-deserved 4-2 victory in the semifinals against rising Taiwanese star KAO Cheng-Jui who had earlier eliminated LIN Gaoyuan (China) and Olympic silver medalist Truls MÖREGARDH (Sweden). Dang Qiu had no regrets after the final acknowledging the outstanding performance of his opponent: “I’m taking a lot of positives and confidence from the WTT Champions.” Men’s Singles Final Dang Qiu vs. Lin Shidong (CHN) 0-4 (-5 -6 -8 -8) Women’s Singles Final Sung Yingsha CHN – Wang Yidi CHN 4:2 (7 -6 10 4 8 4)
Dang QIU Defeats China’s World No. 4 in the Quarterfinals
In his first tournament appearance since the Paris Olympics European champion Dang Qiu delivered a world-class performance to reach the semifinals of the $800 000 WTT Champions Macao (9th to 15th September). The player from Düsseldorf defeated China’s world number four LIANG Jingkun who was seeded second. The opponent for the world number 13 in Saturday’s semifinal will be decided in the afternoon match between Truls MÖREGARDH (Sweden) and KAO Cheng-Jui (Taiwan). The duel between the German and the Chinese player in Macau was a repeat of the 2023 WTT Finals quarterfinals with many similarities to the encounter in Doha. Just like in January Dang QIU emerged victorious with a 3:2 win against LIANG Jingkun. As in Qatar LIANG Jingkun started off strong taking the first set in rapid fashion with an 11:2 scoreline. However Dang QIU launched an impressive comeback and deservedly won after five sets. This was the fourth meeting between the two players with QIU now having secured his second win over the Chinese player. After his brilliant tactical display QIU commented: “Liang overwhelmed me in the first set just like in Doha. I was briefly worried it might end quickly today. But then I found my rhythm and a good strategy against him and I played better and better. That was a very strong performance from me.”
ETTU Webinar on Congress Proposition 10: Ranking for Seeding in ETTU Competitions
Following the letter from the ETTU Secretary General on July 25th the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) would like to remind all Member Associations of the upcoming webinar regarding Congress Proposition 10 which focuses on the ETTU Ranking system for seeding in all ETTU competitions. The webinar will take place on Wednesday 18th September at 18:00 CET and is an essential forum for discussions on the future of ranking systems for ETTU events. Given the significance of this topic the ETTU strongly encourages all Member Associations to participate and contribute to the conversation. The link to join the webinar is provided below: Join the Webinar We look forward to your participation in this important discussion.
Serbia and Romania Triumph in Team Events Greece Dominates Singles at Balkan Championships in Sarajevo
At the Balkan Championships held last weekend in Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbia and Romania clinched gold in their respective Men’s and Women’s team events while the most successful nation in the singles was Greece securing both titles: Konstantinos ANGELAKIS in the Men’s Singles and Aikaterini TOLIOU in the Women’s Singles. In Sarajevo Serbia’s Men’s Team consisting of Nemanja DJILAS Dimitrije LEVAJAC and Pero TEPIC defeated Greece’s team of Konstantinos ANGELAKIS Georgios SAMATOUROS and Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS in the final. Romania with Hunor SZOCS Dragos BUJOR and Luca OPREA claimed the bronze medal. Romania’s Women’s Team composed of Bianca MEI ROSU Tania PLAIAN and Evelyn UNGVARI overcame Türkiye’s lineup of Simay KULAKCEKEN Gulpembe OZKAYA Busra DEMIR and Merve Nur OZTURK. Bulgaria’s team featuring Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA Maria YOVKOVA Viktoria PERSOVA and Kalina HRISTOVA secured third place. In the Men’s Singles the regional champion is Konstantinos ANGELAKIS who defeated Romania’s Dragos BUJOR in the final. The semi-finalists were Ziver GUNDUZ and Ibrahim GUNDUZ from Türkiye. In the Women’s Singles Aikaterini TOLIOU of Greece triumphed over the top seed Tania PLAIAN to win the gold medal. The bronze medalists were Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA of Bulgaria and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania. In the Men’s Doubles Hunor SZOCS and Dragos BUJOR bested Konstantinos ANGELAKIS and Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS. In the Women’s Doubles Maria YOVKOVA and Kalina HRISTOVA defeated Serbia’s Reka BEZEG and Radmila TOMINJAK. Finally in the Mixed Doubles Nemanja DJILAS and Reka BEZEG overcame Dimitrije LEVAJAC and Radmila TOMINJAK to take the title. During the BChampionships important elections were conducted for the Balkan Table Tennis Union (BTTU). The BTTU Congress made the following decisions regarding leadership: President of BTTU Executive Board – Aleksandar MATKOVIC (Serbia) Members of BTTU Executive Board: Mr. Alexander NACHEV (Bulgaria) Mr. Mirsad PAJEVIC (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Mr. Nehat CITAKU (Kosovo) Mr. Goran TILOVSKI (North Macedonia) In addition the Congress confirmed the hosts for upcoming BTTU Championships in 2025: Balkan Youth Championship: Orestiada Greece Balkan Senior Championship: Bursa Turkey Balkan U11-U13 Championship: Albena Bulgaria Paralympic Championship: Vrnjačka Banja Serbia Veteran Championship: Ilijaš Bosnia and Herzegovina
Xia Lian NI and Konstantin CHERNOV champions of the 39th VIC International Open
Luxembourg’s Xia Lian NI emerged as the champion of the 39th Vic International Open. NI claimed a decisive 3-0 victory in the final against Natalya PROSVIRNINA representing Miró Reus Ganxets. In the semifinals Xia Lian NI defeated Elvira FIONA RAD (Miró Reus Ganxets). Meanwhile PROSVIRNINA overcame the number two seed Aneta SIRUCKOVA (MSK Breclav). In the men’s category last year’s champion Konstantin CHERNOV (Linz Froschberg) successfully defended his title. CHERNOV secured a 3-0 victory in the final against Marc DURAN (Enoli Les Borges Vall). In the semifinals DURAN defeated one of the favorites Czech player Pavel SIRUCEK (Hb Ostrov Havlickuv Brod). CHERNOV for his part overcame Iker GONZÁLEZ from CER Robin Hat Prisco L’Escala in the semifinals. GONZÁLEZ had earlier eliminated Antonino AMATO (Top Spin Messina) in the quarterfinals.
Stage 1 of ECLM and Europe Cup men will be played in Poland and Germany
ETTU confirms the host for the European Champions League stage 1 the club KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924 Suchedniow from Poland. The CL stage 1 will be played in 4 groups of 4 teams on 15.-17. November 2024. ETTU confirms the host for the Europe Cup men stage 1 the club ASV Grünwettersbach from Germany. The Europe Cup stage 1 will be played in 4 groups of 4 teams on 15.-17. November 2024. The Draw for CL stage 1 and Europe Cup will be on Wednesday 18. September 2024 at 1400 CEST and streamed on ETTU tv.
Saint-Denis 93 TT and ttc Berlin eastside Advance to Stage 2 as Group Winners
The first stage of the 2024 Champions League Women held in Berlin concluded with four clubs advancing to the next round. French team Saint-Denis 93 TT and the host team ttc Berlin eastside topped their respective groups. Meanwhile Serbia’s TTC Novi Sad and Spain’s UCAM Cartagena T.M secured their spots in Stage 2 by finishing second in their groups. Following the conclusion of the tournament the Stage 2 draw was held. The top eight seeds in the Champions League will begin their campaign next month. The 12 clubs have been divided into four groups with the winners and runners-up progressing to the quarterfinals. Saint-Denis 93 TT led by Agathe AVEZOU Jie li and Hsing-Yin Liu swept through their competition defeating TTC Novi Sad Museo de la Almendra Francisco Morales HB Ostrov z.s. and CTM Mirandela. Novi Sad followed closely with only one loss in the group. In Group B the host team ttc Berlin eastside featuring Xiaona SHAN Sabina SURJAN Yaping DING and Josephina NEUMANN also went undefeated across four matches. They overcame UCAM Cartagena T.M GIRBAU-VIC TT TT Moravský Krumlov and Uniao Sebastianense F.C. UCAM Cartagena T.M concluded the tournament with just one defeat.
