European Olympic Committees (EOC) President Spyros CAPRALOS and Chair of the European Games 2023 Coordination Commission Hasan ARAT have been awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. President CAPRALOS and Mr Arat were presented with the distinction by the Polish President Andrzej DUDA at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw. The award recognises the highly successful 3rd European Games in Kraków- Małopolska in 2023 which President DUDA opened one year ago on Friday (21 June). During his speech at the award ceremony President CAPRALOS expressed his gratitude at being awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit and thanked President DUDA for his support for the European Games. One year on from Kraków-Małopolska 2023 118 athletes who earned direct qualification or NOC quota places during the European Games in Poland are now finalising their preparations for the Olympic Games in Paris. President CAPRALOS reflected on the success of Kraków-Małopolska 2023 and expressed his hope that the 2027 edition in Istanbul will build on its momentum and legacy. “At a time when many organisers are facing difficulties with multi-sport events Poland showed it is possible to deliver a successful Games which benefits the host nation and international athletes alike. With a legacy that still endures a generation of young Polish athletes have been inspired by the Games and they now have access to world-class facilities having been refurbished for the Games ” President CAPRALOS said. “Earlier this month Istanbul was confirmed as the host city for the 2027 Games having been inspired by Krakow-Malopolska. We are very confident they will follow Poland’s lead and deliver a memorable and successful event.”

Last year she was the youngest finalist in German history in doubles alongside Josephina NEUMANN. Now Bavaria’s Koharu ITAGAKI is the youngest gold medalist in the history of the German Championships for men and women. At the age of 14 years and 141 days the Bad Königshofen native won the mixed competition with Daniel RINDERER becoming the youngest winner surpassing Nicole STRUSE and the SOLJA sisters Amelie and Petrissa at their title debuts. Her first comment after the historic success: “I am speechless.” The doubles titles went to Annett KAUFMANN/Yuan WAN and Cedric MEISSNER/Ricardo WALTHER. Women’s Singles: First Title for Kaufmann “I can’t even realize that I am now the German Champion ” said the 17-year-old European junior champion in all categories who made a strong return to the tournament scene with this title win. Annett KAUFMANN had last played at the Team World Championships in February followed by a longer break due to her final exams. Men’s Singles: Second Title for DUDA “This title means even more to me than the first ” explained Benedikt DUDA who won his second national singles title after 2021. In an impressive final he defeated local hero Steffen MENGEL in five sets whom the approximately 2 200 spectators would have loved to see win. NEUMANN Wins Long-Awaited U15 Title In the girls’ U15 category Josephina NEUMANN dominated the singles tournament and also won gold in doubles alongside Koharu ITAGAKI. “I am super happy especially because things didn’t go so well in my age group at the German Championships the last two times ” said the 14-year-old from Okarben who plays for ttc berlin eastside in the Bundesliga and Champions League. The U15 boys’ singles title went to Jonas RINDERER. RINDERER Trio is the Most Successful Family: “We Live in the Gym” With so much success at once things get confusing: The Bavarian RINDERER family won gold in the mixed competition through Daniel gold in U15 mixed through Fabian and U15 gold in singles through Jonas. Jonas also won silver in U15 mixed in a brotherly duel with Fabian while Daniel secured silver in the men’s doubles. “We live in the gym ” said parents Hans and Petra RINDERER. They have passed their table tennis genes onto their sons with great success. Positive Balance of the TT Finals Premiere with 7 000 Spectators The organizers draw an entirely positive conclusion from the first edition of the German Table Tennis Finals: many fans enthusiastic participants and a genuine festival atmosphere.

The Slovak Table Tennis Conference was held in Bratislava on May 7 2024. It was attended by 46 delegates (83.6 percent participation) and 12 guests. The President of the Slovak Table Tennis Association (STTA) Anton HAMRAN assessed the past year as very successful when the Slovakian women’s team achieved the best result in the modern history of independent Slovakia. At the European Championships in Malmö the Slovak team took an unexpected 5th place and at the first world championship of mixed teams in Cheng doo Slovakia finished in an excellent 8th place. He emphasized that in addition to strong support for adult and youth representative teams and top athletes (they used 25 percent of the budget) the union also supported the activities of 120 clubs in the amount of 265 755 euros – the amount was intended for players under 23 years of age (an average of 105 euros per player). Overall table tennis in Slovakia has long been among the top ten sports and in terms of the number of clubs (more than 600) it is second only to football. STTA is already preparing for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of organized table tennis in Slovakia which will be commemorated during the European Under-21 Championships in May in Bratislava. The second part of the celebrations will be held in the autumn together with the Czech Table Tennis Association in Prague as the Czechoslovak Table Tennis Association was originally founded in 1925. The delegates unanimously approved the entry of two important personalities into the Hall of Fame of Slovak table tennis: Zdenko KRÍŽ (73 years old) long-time leading sports diplomat and official who led Czechoslovak and Slovak table tennis as its president for a record 38 years (1983 – 2021). He was also a member of the ITTF Board of Directors (2003-2021) and chairman of the ETTU Veterans Commission (1999-2024) today he is a member of the SCI executive. He is also Honorary Chairman of STTA and Honorary Member of ITTF. Jaromír TRUKSA (53 years old) was the best Slovak player at the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He won the first historic medal for Slovakia from the European Championships in 1994 in Birmingham where he won bronze together with Valentína Popová in the mixed doubles. He was a successful youth coach for many years coach of the Slovak men’s national team and currently works as a coach of the Slovak women’s team.

When the German national champions are being sought this year everything will be much bigger than in previous years. From 13 to 16 June in Erfurt the German Nationals for men and women under 15 and 19 tournaments as well as the amateur classes with the best players at local district and county level will be held at the same venue. The new so-called German Table Tennis Finals are a four-day event at the Erfurt Exhibition Centre with a total of around 500 players. Amateurs then play door to door or table to table with the national members in the youth and adult categories. At the last two editions of the national championships the men’s and women’s singles were won by European champion Dang QIU and bronze medallist Sabine WINTER. This time however other players will climb to the top step of the podium as the defending champions had to cancel their participation in this year’s finals premiere with a heavy heart. Like his Paris team-mates Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Timo BOLL and Patrick FRANZISKA QIU is playing the WTT Star Contender in Slovenia in preparation for the Olympics. WINTER is suffering from a back injury. Annett KAUFMANN is the favourite for the women’s title despite her break from training due to her A-levels at school. “Of course my goal is still to win in Erfurt. But I’m not stressing about it ” explains KAUFMANN. “I’m just looking forward to the finals want to enjoy the atmosphere and hope for a good result. If it doesn’t work out this year then it’s not meant to be. I still have a lot of German championships ahead of me.” Benedikt DUDA who won the men’s singles title in 2021 is seeded number one in the men’s competition. “I have fond memories of 2021 when I won the championship for the first time in Bremen. That was an indescribably great feeling. I would love to experience it again in Erfurt. The competition is of course very strong but I’m in very good form ” said “Benne” DUDA. I really enjoy playing in the German Championships and am looking forward to the new format of the German Table Tennis Finals.” In the under 19 competition Mia GRIESEL and Andre BERTELSMEIER are the hottest candidates for the title. The under 15 category is led by the European doubles champions Koharu ITAGAKI and Josephina NEUMANN as well as Jonas RINDERER this year’s winner of the national ranking tournament. The German Table Tennis Finals are the big gathering of the table tennis family. The event is to be held annually after its premiere in 2024. In addition to competitions there is a varied programme of sports activities for all spectators as well as workshops and on Fridays the Summer Party with DJ at the outdoor area plus the broadcast of the opening match of the European Football Championships between Germany and Scotland. The state capital of Thuringia is also organising another event during the week of the tournament itself. The Krämerbrücken Festival which has been held annually since 1975 is the largest old town festival in the region and offers a colourful programme of art culture entertainment and culinary delights. Visitors to the TT Finals can combine both highlights. Tickets are in high demand but still available The TT Finals will take place in two exhibition halls. The tournament starts on Thursday (13 June) with the under 19 category and ends on Sunday (16 June) with the final matches of the under 15 tournament the amateur classes and the aces in the men’s and women’s categories. Ticket sales are going very well but tickets are still available for all four days of the tournament. All information about the tournament the supporting programme and tickets: www.tt-finals.de.

The Prishtina Open 2024 has concluded with resounding success marking a significant milestone in the city’s sports history. During 3 days Prishtina transformed into the epicenter of international table tennis hosting athletes from across the globe. The tournament brought together 106 foreign players from: France Germany Romania Bulgaria Austria Egypt Columbia and beyond. Kosovo led the participation with an impressive 245 players showing the nation’s growing interest and talent in table tennis. Organized by Priping Table Tennis Club a prominent club in Kosovo the POTTIT 2024 featured Juniors U13 U17 and U21 Senior and Veterans form 40 to 70+ events. The success of the Prishtina Open 2024 has set a new standard for sporting events in Kosovo. It has not only highlighted the country’s capability to host international tournaments but also emphasized the potential for future growth in table tennis. This achievement is even more significant as Prishtina proudly holds the title of European City of Sports 2024. Women’s Singles Event Andrea POSTUDOR (RUM) Shega HASHANI (KOS) Lene OSMANI (KOS) Men’s Singles Event Batuhan ULUXHAK (TUR) Oleksey NAPLOKOV (UKR) Batuhan SHAHIN (TUR)