On Tuesday 6th April a meeting of the ETTU Executive Board was held under the leadership of President Igor Levitin. President Levitin dedicated the meeting to the celebration of World Table Tennis Day. Beatrice Romanescu (Marketing Manager) reported on ETTU rebranding content new logo designs TV rights and sponsorship contracts. The Board approved and adopted a new ETTU logo and thanked Salva Ramirez (JTA Design) and Beatrice Romanescu for their work. The Board received a presentation from Robert Renner about setting up a Table Tennis Centre for Women and Girls at Linz Austria. It was agreed that Mr Renner and the ETTU Athletes Commission chair Galia Dvorak will contact member Associations seeking their interest to send female players to the Centre. Sandra Deaton Vice President for Finances reported on the Audit Commission’s report to the 2020 Congress and on the current financial situation. The Board received reports on the European Olympic Singles Qualification (Guimarães POR) Europe Cup final rounds (Novi Sad SRB and Varaždin CRO) European Team Championships Stage 1 B groups and European Championships (Warsaw POL). President Levitin closed the meeting and thanked members for their contribution and looked forward to meeting everyone in Guimarães on Saturday 24th April.
WTT China Hub to proceed after the Olympics Games
World Table Tennis (WTT) and the Chinese Table Tennis Association have been working closely with Chinese government authorities to kickstart an exciting chapter for the sport with the WTT “China Hub”. The planned events in China form part of the new WTT Series event structure aiming to create a truly global sport with diverse participation opportunities for players clubs and fans alike. They have jointly taken the decision to schedule the China Hub for after the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Although China has confirmed that it will be able to host WTT events from June given the current circumstances it is the fairest and safest decision for the players as they prepare for the Olympic Games and navigate global uncertainty around travel and training restrictions. The well-being of all those involved in our sport remains our number one priority. Events in China will be part of a series of elite WTT competitions to be held in the second half of 2021 alongside Grand Smashes and the ITTF World Championships around the globe. As well as marking a return to regular elite events as Covid-19 restrictions ease these events will usher in a new era for table tennis championing our sport’s culture and offering richer player and fan experiences.
Nine places for Tokyo 2020 on offer at European Singles Qualification Tournament
A total of nine qualification places for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be available at the European Singles Qualification Tournament (ESQT) on 21-25 April 2021. The tournament will be played at the Multiusos de Guimarães in the city of Guimarães. Hosted and organised by the Federação Portuguesa de Ténis de Mesa under the authority granted by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) five Olympic spots will be reserved for men while another four will be available for women. A total of 38 and 41 entries have been registered for men and women respectively. In the men’s event in phase one entries will be split into 10 groups. The top four seeded players will not play in the groups but will qualify directly for Stage 2. The winner and the runner up of each of the 10 groups will qualify for Stage 2 together with the 4 seeded players making a total of 24 players. After Stage 2 starting from the round of 32 both finalists Men and Women will qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (the final match shall not be played). The remaining 22 players from Stage 2 will continue into Stage 3 in a direct knock out draw of 32. In the men’s event the two finalists of the Stage 3 K.O. draw will qualify for Tokyo 2020 (the final match shall not be played). In addition the winner of the match between the losers of the Stage 3 semi-finals (men) will qualify for the Olympic Games. In the women’s event the two finalists of the Stage 3 K.O. draw will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Belarus’ female players gave a special tone to the Table Tennis Day
April 6 – the World Table Tennis Day is the holiday that is officially celebrated for the sixth year. Each year this day is dedicated to different social problem. In 2021 it is gender equality; it is all about the fight against gender discrimination. The International Table Tennis Federation highlights the main issue as the protection of human rights and the involvement of as many young girls as possible in table tennis. Belarus’ female athletes talked about their female role models Viktoria PAVLOVICH I have never had any idols in sports. In childhood by watching table tennis I did not distinguish any athletes in terms of technique or style of play. I admired exclusively the character of the Soviet table tennis players: Irina PALINA Elena TIMINA. Their struggle for each ball their incredible fervor for victory was very inspiring. It was then that I realized what a real athlete should be. I took over my motto “fight to the end” from the Soviet sports temper. Nadezhda BOGDANOVA I watch all of Hina HAYATA’s games. In general Japanese table tennis players are very professional and restrained in their game. HAYATA laughs a lot during matches she maybe even act like a fool but at the same time she does a great job at the table. She differs from her compatriots in her playing style: Japanese female players usually hold the ball and from the very beginning Hina begins to briskly attack. Daria TRIGOLOS The Austrian Sofia POLCANOVA impresses me. She is great not only as a player but also as a person as she is very sweet and friendly. With a racket in her hand she behaves calmly. One gets the impression that in those milliseconds while the ball is flying on her half of the table a whole battle plan of actions has time to be built in her head. Thanks to such deliberation she manages to reduce mistakes to a minimum. Vera VOLKAVA Among all the famous table tennis players I can single out Margaryta PESOTSKA. She is already quite experienced and holds the ball confidently rotates it masterly. Our playing styles are vastly different: she skillfully copes with any difficulties unlike me. This is the quality I want to learn from her. Darya VASILENKA All the athletes of our country impress me; in particular I want to note the leaders of our national team Nadezhda BOGDANOVA and Daria TRIGOLOS. Each of the girls has her own individual technique; each one stands out in its own way. On the international stage Puerto Rican Adriana DIAZ has a hallmark. Despite her young age she is already the 18th racket in the World such a result for a twenty-year-old girl is a real success! I in turn do not want to imitate anyone or become like some kind of athlete you need to maintain your individuality. And of course set goals for yourself and achieve them while focusing on the best. Darya KISEL Although I was born and grew up in the post-Soviet era I do not stop being motivated by the play of the most talented Soviet table tennis players. The coach Vladimir BOLIKOV repeatedly talked about the strong-willed victories of such athletes as Alla MUKHOMOROVA and Inga YAVOROVSKAYA. In addition I try to grow more and more as a professional player: I analyze each of my games work through all the pros and cons.
ETTU launch new logo on International Table Tennis Day
The ETTU today joined National Table Tennis Federations from Europe in celebrating International Table Tennis Day by launching its new dynamic logo. The logo reflects the organisation’s new vision and the dynamism of the sport it represents. The two ‘T’s of the ETTU in the logo form a table – a central element of table tennis and a symbolic element of the sport. The blue of the logo is aligned with the prevalence of the colour within the sport and its association with Europe and denotes trust stability and reliability. The new ETTU logo will form the base for the event logos of all ETTU properties and ensure a consistency and uniformity to the brand. The launch of the logo coincides with International Table Tennis Day a day when people who love table tennis welcome others to join one big family of our unique sport. This year’s celebrations take on added significance as the values and benefits of table tennis are even more pertinent during the current pandemic. Table tennis is a sport which is open to everyone regardless of age gender or background and can bring many mental and physical benefits.
New topc on Webinar: Fit Work Table Tennis by Nevena KOSTOVA
ETTU will continue its great Webinar series with another session in April with the topic: “Fit Work Table Tennis” by a former Bulgaria’s national player and a certified “Fitness & Body building” and “Personal Trainer” Nevena KOSTOVA. All are invited to join us on Monday 12th April 2021. Webinar will be open to all ETTU National Team coaches and National team level players as well. Please send your fulfilled entry form to ETTU Development Manager Neven CEGNAR (ncegnar@gmail.com) with copy to ETTU Administration Officer Ana IVOŠEVIĆ (ana.antic.ettu@gmail.com) within Friday 9th April 2021 latest. You can see all relevant documents here
Toni Borg remembered a role model for future generations
It is with great sadness that the ETTU learned that Toni Borg a stalwart member of the Swedish men’s team some six decades ago passed away on Saturday 27th March following a period of two weeks in hospital suffering from Covid-19. He died just two weeks short of what would have been his 84th birthday; he was born on Saturday 10th April 1937. Borg made his table tennis debut when he was only 17 years old he played 29 international matches for Sweden participating in the World Championships in 1957 in Stockholm and two years later in Dortmund. Additionally he competed in the 1960 European Championships in Zagreb the second edition of tournament. Lining up alongside Hans Alser Tony Larsson Bjorne Mellström and Stellan Bengtsson he won silver in the men’s team event. It is with the likes of his colleagues in the 1950s and early 1960s that Toni Borg very much set the standard not just as a player but as a person; a fact appreciated by Petra Sörling President of the Swedish Table Tennis Association. “Swedish table tennis lost not only one of our big table tennis stars Toni played in our national team from 1954 we also lost a close friend who never stopped playing table tennis. Always he represented his club Arboga and Sweden as a true role model ” Petra Sörling said. Domestically he secured men’s doubles gold partnering Tony Larsson at the 1958 and 1959 Swedish Closed Championships Our thoughts with his wife Agneta daughters Lena and Mona plus four grandchildren. Toni Borg will be sadly missed. Rest in peace.
ETTU encourages National Federations to celebrate World Table Tennis Day
The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) today called on National Federations and clubs throughout Europe to find innovative ways of promoting table tennis and engaging people in the sport ahead of World Table Tennis Day on 6 April. Many activations have already been prepared across Europe to celebrate this special occasion. In the UK Brighton Table Tennis Club has some special plans for next week and it includes 30 outdoor table tennis tables… Tim HOLTAM and fellow table tennis star WEN Wei co-founded Brighton Table Tennis Club (BTTC) in 2007 originally to give working-class kids from deprived suburbs something to do but it has since grown into something much bigger.Nowadays the club has its own full-time centre in Kemptown and 200 tables across Sussex including in a homeless centre hospital and prisons. Over the past year they have run games on 30 outdoor table tennis tables across the city keeping people fit and connected. They will be out playing on them again this Tuesday for World Table Tennis Day on 6 April. “There are no parameters as to who can join: anyone of any age can come and play ” said Tim. “We’ve added different groups over the years and it’s now used by other clubs as a model for community integration and social cohesion.” The club works with children in care and refugees and visits special schools. Things snowballed six years’ ago after a social worker brought a Vietnamese boy to the club and an Afghani boy brought six of his friends. In 2016 BTTC became the world’s first Club of Sanctuary for its work with refugees a title previously reserved for cities and schools. “It’s been great for their sense of belonging identity and being welcomed in the local community and for their English ” said Tim. “They’re about the loveliest kids you’d ever meet. If you make a journey across the world on your own you’re pretty resilient.” Tim said it had also changed local young people’s attitudes towards refugees for the better. The club also runs table tennis sessions at Brighton’s Patching Lodge retirement village. One lady Betty who is 100 still enjoys her table tennis. “Age is no barrier to playing. Betty is still going strong and hitting balls ” said Tim. “We all need to be part of a number of communities and the past year has been so hard. A lot of people have been struggling and table tennis is great because it really improves your mental and physical health.” Both men are part of Brighton & Hove Buses’ Above & Beyond initiative which celebrates people who have gone out of their way to make a positive impact on other people’s lives. Their faces can be seen on the side of a route 1 bus along with more community champions on 23 other new buses as they travel between Mile Oak Whitehawk and the city. Each bus features a story about their amazing achievements on panels and on TV screens inside. People were nominated by local community groups and members of the public. For more about Above & Beyond: www.busesaboveandbeyond.co.uk Club’s web site https://brightontabletennisclub.com/
160 participants attended the first Development webinar Para TT and Match Officials
ETTU Para TT Committe and Umpires and Referee Committee started a new initiative to strengthen the cooperation and to support match officials coaches and players in their knowledge about rules regulations and procedure in Para-events. The panelists in this development webinar have been real experts in this field:Alena KANOVA winner of four Paralympic medals and Gorazd VECKO responsible as coach for nine Paralympic medals together with Asko RASINEN ETTU URC member and umpire for more than 30 years and Karen TONGE Member of the British Paralympic Association National Council and also more than 30 years umpire and referee. They presented the specific procedures in the Call Area but also the ICC card and had an interesting discussion about the service rules for wheelchair players. It was a good mixture of presentation and discussion. Chairman of the Para Committee Alessandro ARCIGLI said: “This initiative was a good start for a close cooperation between Para and URC and we will hopefully meet soon face to face to even intensify the good work.” Gorazd VECKO added: “Without officials there is no table tennis possible on a professional level. Sometimes there is disagreement between coaches players and officials but it is never on a personal level. Thanks to all officials for their work. And we all should always keep in mind: All Para athletes want to be treated as professional athletes and not as disabled”
ETTU thanks Emmanuel Kolympadis for contribution to table tennis
The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) expresses its sincere gratitude to Emmanuel KOLYMPADIS for his significant contribution to table tennis over the course of his 40 year career at the Hellenic Table Tennis Federation. Mr KOLYMPADIS served as President of the Hellenic Table Tennis Federation for the last 12 years and as its Secretary General before that. After completing his third and final term as President Mr KOLYMPADIS took the decision not to run for a position on the Board of the Federation and instead will focus on his role as Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee. Greek table tennis legend Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU takes over as President of the Hellenic Table Tennis Federation following his election on 26 March 2021. ETTU President Igor LEVITIN said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr KOLYMPADIS who has been at the heart of Greek table tennis for the last 40 years. “During his impressive career he has supported the development and promotion of table tennis not just nationally but also internationally in his dealings with the ITTF and ETTU. He leaves the Hellenic Table Tennis Federation in a strong position and we have every confidence President Papageorgiou will continue to build on his success. I wish Mr KOLYMPADIS the best for the future and hope to continue the warm relationship between him and the ETTU.”
