Traditionally European youngsters are invited to attend the CTTC Summer Camps in Shanghai to learn more about Chinese table tennis and culture. Due the ongoing difficult health situation all over the world this year the camps are being held virtually via online training courses. In previous years thanks to the good cooperation between the ETTU Development Program and the CTTC-E in Luxembourg young Europeans have been able to participate on many occasions. China Table Tennis College is the first professional institution of table tennis in the world which was jointly established by Shanghai Municipal Government and Chinese Table Tennis Association and is located in Shanghai with teaching training scientific research and foreign exchange. It also has provides higher education of undergraduate master Ph.D. level as well as a mission of cultivating outstanding youths. Every year China Table Tennis College holds Summer School for foreign friends. Students will experience table tennis training Chinese language courses traditional Chinese culture and extra-curricular practice like sightseeing tours ITTF Museum & CTT Museum Chinese delicious food etc on ClassIn. Players will be taught how to install ClassIn APP when they are enrolled. Besides these online course project characteristic is teaching students how to improve their table tennis skill one by one online by email ClassIn or other social apps. Players can shoot videos of matches table tennis training or submit questions about technical problems and send to us anytime during 28 days. The Summer Camps will be held: 28 days. 9th June—6th July 2021 Shanghai China Application Deadline: 26th May 2021 Here is a link with more information: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/iE2oCDZmexixQd7a4iTcrg
President of Kosovo TTA Jeton BEQIRI becomes NOC Executive Board member
Kosovo Olympic Committee held its Elective Assembly on 25 March for the next Olympic Cycle 2021-2024. The President of Kosovo TTA Jeton BEQIRI became the newest elected NOC Executive Board member while the Vice-President of Kosovo TTA Jeton ORUQI (ETTU Board of Appeal member) became a member of the NOC Court of Arbitration for Sport. “It is an honor and a privilege that TT representatives have been entrusted to promote and advance the Olympic Movement in our country and globally due to the high level engagement governance and organization shown within the table tennis community. We look forward to giving our full contribution towards a better and prosperous future for our youth through education and sport with a spirit of friendship solidarity and fair play ” explained BEQIRI.
After successful weekend in Europe Cup 8 clubs booked their places in the final
After three days of play in the first round of the Europe Cup Men played in Spain Romania and Croatia 8 clubs progressed to the final stage. From 12th to 15th May once again Varazdin will host the final tournament. Top two clubs from four groups emerged successfully further: from the Group A Croatia’s Stk Libertas Marinkolor and Romania’s hosts CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc; in Group B in Spain hosts Asisa Borges Vall and Russia’s TTSC UMMC-ELEM; from Group C Austria’s Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt and Slovakia’s SK Vydrany; from Group D Italy’s Top Spin Messina and Hungary’s Pte Peac Kalo-Meh. In the next phase they will join the relegated clubs from Champions League Men played in December last year: Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 TTC Enfireex Ostrava AS Pontoise Cergy TT de Boer Taverzo SPG Walter Wels and Leka Enea TDM. Today in Group A two unbeaten clubs in previous two rounds¸ Croatia’s Stk Libertas Marinkolor and Romania’s hosts CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc fought for the leading place at the standings. After full five matches duel Croatia’s Marinkolor emerged successfully. Ukraine’s Fortune Kyiv failed to create any wins in Romania. In Group C in Varazdin Austria’s Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt showed no mercy against Spain’s Universidad De Burgos – TPF. They lost to SK Vydrany day earlier as well. In Group D Top Spin Messina needed four matches to overcame Pte Peac Kalo-Meh but that match only determined who will be at the top position in the group. Both clubs already succeeded against STK Starr Croatia.
Day packed with action in Europe Cup
Second day of the play in the first round of the Europe Cup men brought conclusion only in Group B. In other three groups we will have to wait for tomorrow’s matches to see who will progress to the final phase of the Cup to be played in May in Varazdin. Remaining matches tomorrow you can follow live on ettu.tv. In Group A top seeded Fortune Kyiv from Ukraine failed to produce quality to secure the place in top two clubs at the standings. They lost both matches today. Hosts of the Group in Romania CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc beat them 3:0 and by same margin Croatia’s Stk Libertas Marinkolor opened the playing day in Romania. All matches in Group B in Spain are finished. Hosts Asisa Borges Vall progressed to the final phase unbeaten with the 9:1 record in three matches. They beat Italy’s ASD Marcozzi Cagliari 3:0 Russia’s TTSC UMMC-ELEM 3:1 on the opening day whilst today they overcame Portugal’s GDCS Juncal 3:0. Marc DURAN led his team to the top of the standings with impressive record of four straight games wins. TTSC UMMC-ELEM will also play in Varazdin at the final tournament in May; they have one point less. Russia’s club overcame Junical and ASD Marcozzi Cagliari in straight matches. In Group C there is only one match left on schedule for tomorrow but the outcome is still uncertain. Today Slovakia’s SK Vydrany beat Spanish Universidad De Burgos – TPF 3:2 and then lost to Austria’s Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt 0:3. Tomorrow the remaining match between Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt and Universidad De Burgos will decide the positions at the standings. Group D is also playing in Croatia’s Varazdin. Hosts failed to produce the win today. STK Starr Croatia lost to Italy’s Top Spin Messina and Hungary’s Pte Peac Kalo-Meh. Both matches finished by 3:0 margin. Hungary’s and Italy’s club will play deciding match tomorrow.
Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU elected President of Greek Federation
Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU who is forever celebrated nationally for ousting Sweden’s Jan-Ove WALDNER in the opening round of men’s singles event at the Liebherr 2003 World Championships in Paris (11-7 7-11 11-8 5-11 11-4 8-11 11-8) was elected President of the Hellenic Table Tennis Federation on Friday. After an electronic vote in which 49 clubs took part the 11 members of the board of directors were elected. Kostas PAPAGEORGIOU took over the presidency and although he was the only candidate it is important that he met with universal acceptance from the representatives of all the clubs that voted. The vote coincided with the day of his birth (42 years old) as he succeeded the 12.5 year long-serving president and former general secretary Manolis KOLIMBADIS who will now be the federation’s representative in the Hellenic Olympic Committee. The electorate has largely renewed the board of directors while the top Greek defender Panagiotis GIONIS was elected as an athlete representative. The term of the new administration will run to September 2024. Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU has been a stalwart of the Greek national team. He made his World Championships debut in 1999 in Eindhoven and competed until announcing his retirement in 2018 following the Liebherr Team World Championships in Halmstad. He made a total of 18 World Championships appearances and was a most valued team member. A high-point of his career was at the European Championships in 2013 in Schwechat where alongside Kalinikos KREANGA Panagiotis GIONIS and Anastasios RINIOTIS he won the men’s team silver medal was secured a best ever achievement for Greece. Standing for office Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU has been highly motivated by Manolis KOLIMBADIS the incumbent President and seeks to work closely alongside both Panagiotis GIONIS and Kalinikos KREANGA in creating an exciting new era for Greek table tennis. “I am very happy for the absolute acceptance which our member unions showed through the electoral process. I hope I am worthy of their trust. I will try with all my strength to justify their confidence. I know that the road will be difficult and an uphill task but if we face the future together we will survive and progress. I am not a hero but neither am I naïve and I know that my career as an athlete does not ensure my success in this position. However I am part of a strong group of people free from political affiliations party or fan affiliations ” said Kostas PAPAGEORGIOU. President of Board: Konstantinos Papageorgiou 46 votes First Vice President: Evangelos TERPOS Second Vice President: George LYGOURAS General Secretary: Socrates PAPASAVOGLOU Treasurer: Xanthi KIOUFI Chairman of the Technical Committee: Panagiotis TZOVOLOS Members: Vlasios GEORGIOU Maria MOIROU Ioannis KORDOUTIS Polyxeni STATHI Christos TASSIOS
Asisa Borges Vall justified their position in Group B with two wins
First European club competition in this year started in Spain. In the first leg of the Europe Cup Men the leading club in Group B justified its position and recorded two wins. Host of the Group B tournament Asisa Borges Vall beat ASD Marcozzi Cagliari and TTSC UMMC-ELEM. Tomorrow Spanish club will meet GDCS Juncal whilst ASD Marcozzi Cagliari will play against TTSC UMMC-ELEM. In the opening round of the day Asisa Borges Vall overcame Italy’s ASD Marcozzi Cagliari. Marc DURAN Joan MASIP and Albert VILARDELL beat Antonino AMATO Makanjuola KAZEEM and Stefano CURCIO in straight matches and all three concluded in straight games. In the same Round Russia’s TTSC UMMC-ELEM beat Portugal’s GDCS Juncal in similar style. Artur ABUSEV Mikhail PAYKOV and Danila TRAVIN beat Kirill SHVETC Andrey BUKIN and David BESSA 3-0 but all three matches finished in four games. In second Round Asisa Borges Vall secured 3:1 win over TTSC UMMC-ELEM. Danila TRAVIN recorded the only win in the match against Albert VILARDELL but with two more wins on his record Marc DURAN left no hope for the guests. The thriller between ASD Marcozzi Cagliari and GDCS Juncal concluded in favor of Portugal’s club. Makanjuola KAZEEM won both points for Italian side. In five games he beat Andrey BUKIN and Kirill SHVETC but it proved that Junical has stronger team. Junical’s SHVETC David BESSA and BUKIN secured one win each.
Europe Cup set to kick start season
The Europe Cup men 2020-2021 Group Stage starts this Friday (26 March) at 14:00 CET and will be played over the weekend in Romania Spain and Croatia. The matches will be streamed live on the ettu.tv bringing elite table tennis to fans across Europe. Group A will be played in Romania’s Sala Sporturilor – Sports Hall where CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc will be the host; Group B will be played in the Spanish Centre Tecnificació les Borges Blanques home to the Asisa Borges Vall; whilst C and D will be hosted by STK STARR in Varaždin Sports Hall. In Group A top seeded Fortune Kyiv (Ukraine) will meet hosts CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc (Romania) and Stk Libertas Marinkolor (Croatia). “We waited very long time to play in the Europe Cup; finally we can compete. The complete team prepared hard for the tournament. The last year’s quarter-final position motivates us to show the best of us again. Of course the goal is to qualify in the next phase of the competition but we are aware it will be very difficult. The other teams are very good. We know what to expect from the Ukraine’s team as we know them from the last season. Then in the Group phase we won but I think they will try everything to avenge their defeat. The Croatian team finished their national championships in the last few years on the podium so I am awaiting three close and fierce matches ” said CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc Team manager István GYÖRGY. In Group B the top seeded club Asisa Borges Vall (Spain) GDCS Juncal (Portugal) TTSC UMMC-ELEM (Russia) and ASD Marcozzi Cagliari (Italy) will compete. “We will play the first round with our Spanish players. We hope we can reach the next phase which is our main goal. It will be difficult since our adversaries are very strong ” said Asisa Borges Vall Marketing Manager David RIU. In Group C in Varazdin are SK Vydrany (Slovakia) Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt (Austria) and Universidad De Burgos – TPF (Spain). In Croatia hosts and top seeds STK Starr Croatia host will be joined by Pte Peac Kalo-Meh (Hungary) and Top Spin Messina (Italy). “We are proud that we will be host of a European tournament once again. With great pleasure we will welcome players from Hungary Austria Slovakia Italy and Spain. The competition will be streamed live on ettu.tv. Table tennis returns on European scene and Varaždin is a good place to be ” said STARR President Ronald REDJEP.
Cristinel ROMANESCU re-elected for 6th consecutive term Romanian Table Tennis Federation
Cristinel ROMANESCU has been re-elected for the 6th consecutive term as President of the Romanian Table Tennis Federation for the four year period 2021 – 2025. “My path in table tennis started in my childhood. Today I add another step. I am thankful to the Romanian Table Tennis Federation team to the athletes coaches clubs and to all the people who are involved in the development of table tennis. Let’s continue together” stated Cristinel ROMANESCU. The Board of Directors were also elected: Nicolae OCHIANĂ (Vice president) Vasile ADRIAN MOLDOVAN Andrei Ion SZEMERJAI Bogdan MARINESCU Constantin NICA Adriana ZAMFIR Viorel FILIMON Valeria OLTEANU (members).
Novi Sad and Varaždin to host Europe Cup women and men
TTC Novi Sad has been awarded the rights to host the Europe Cup women final tournament 2020-2021 which will be held at the SPENS Arena in Novi Sad Serbia on 5-9 May. While STK STARR Croatia has been awarded the rights to host the Europe Cup men final tournament 2020-2021 in Varaždin Croatia on 12-15 May 2021. The ETTU together with the hosts will establish robust health guidelines to ensure a safe environment for all involved. Following the successful and safe delivery of the Champions League bubbles held in December 2020 the ETTU is looking forward to staging its firs competition in 2021. Novi Sad is very pleased to have been awarded the tournament in the year of big jubilee. “This is the great opportunity for us to prove our hospitality and organization skills in a year when we celebrates the special date. Four decades ago Novi Sad was the host of the World Championships. The venue of the Europe Cup final this year was purposely built for the needs of the Championships. We only regret the absence of the spectators but it will be broadcast on the TV and Internet live streaming on the top of our priorities so everyone will be able to enjoy good action” said STK Novi Sad President Dane FRACILE. With 11 teams from Europe Cup and five confirmed Champions League relegated clubs ETTU decided to include all teams into a group stage round with 4 groups of 4 teams followed by quarter-finals semi-finals and a final. STK STARR will host the tournament in Varaždin the city that organised the last European event before the COVID-19 outbreak– the European Under 21 Championships. Now Arena in Varazdin will open its doors for the Europe Cup men final tournament but even before the final Croatia’s club will host the groups C and D in the first round of the event this weekend. “STK STARR is grateful for the opportunity to organise the final tournament. We see it as a reward for all our previous efforts to organise the events especially under the difficult circumstances of the pandemic. We already proved we can organise the competitions in a “bubble” environment and that we can provide the participants with the best possible conditions to play and to focus on their achievements. With great anticipation we await the guests from all over the Europe ” said STARR President Ronald REDJEP. This weekend eight teams from Europe Cup group stage 1 will qualify for the final tournament and 6 teams from Champions League (relegated teams) confirmed participation to the final tournament of Europe Cup. ETTU decided to include all teams (8+6=14) into a group stage round with two groups of four teams and two groups of three teams followed by quarter-finals semi-finals and a final.
ETTU Executive Board awards 2023 European Team Championships to Sweden
The ETTU Executive Board has awarded the 2023 European Team Championships to the vibrant multicultural city of Malmö in Sweden. “We are very happy to be going back to Sweden and the city of Malmö for ETTU’s most prestigious event the European Championships after an absence of 33 years. But today our Executive Board was confronted with an exceptionally difficult decision as we received excellent presentations from both the Sweden National Association and the Belarus National Association two of our most prestigious European event organisers. Saying this we really hope to have a marquee event in Malmö in 2023 and also that Belarus National Association is back bidding to host future European Table Tennis events ” stated ETTU Deputy President Pedro Moura. The competition venue Malmö Arena was built in 2008 and has hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 Junior Ice Hockey World Championships 2014 and Handball World Championships 2011 among others. Malmö Arena has 12.400 seats 58 lounges/skyboxes and 3.200 restaurant seats. The venue is normally used for ice hockey which means the floor measures 60 x 30 meters. For the European Championships ´23 the ice will be melted a wooden sub floor installed and then a red table tennis carpet will be used. This model was also used during the World Championships 2018 in Halmstad in both venue B and C which means that the organizers have great knowledge of this type of set up. The maximum lux capacity in the venue is 2.800. The light will be enhanced with light rigs to create the best possible sports presentation. “The European Championships is one of the finest and most acclaimed table tennis events in the world. To host such an event is a great responsibility. With a bid built on the pillars of great tradition organizational knowledge and passion for the sport of table tennis Malmö 2023 is the future made perfect. For you for us and for everyone. Welcome ” the Sweden Table Tennis Association stated in their bid. The organisation has great experience in sport presentation and will use the same companies as those that were used during the WTTC 2018 in Halmstad. As an example of the level of sport presentation in 2018 STTA Bornan IT a company that has worked with the Olympic Games said: “The level of presentation here was higher than it was during the Olympic Games”.
