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.
Special Ticket Offer for the LIEBHERR European Table Tennis Championships on the Football EC Kick-off
123 days before the start of the LIEBHERR European Table Tennis Championships in Linz’s TipsArena to celebrate the kick-off of the European Championships in Munich we’re offering a 50% discount on day tickets for Linz. The first 100 people who register with the code #TTEM2024 between 9:00 and 21:00 on June 14 2024 and secure tickets for the LIEBHERR European Table Tennis Championships will pay half price. Get your tickets here! The LIEBHERR European Table Tennis Championships in the Upper Austrian capital will take place from October 15-20.
The draw for the 2024 European Youth Championships in Malmö
The draw for the 2024 European Youth Championships was held today in Malmö. Also the team seeding list players list in singles events players list and partner wanted list in doubles events playing system and general schedule were published yesterday. All the documents you can see here.
European City of Sports 2024 hosts a spectacular Prishtina Open tournament
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)
Poland Romania and Germany Top Seeding for the European Youth Championships
The draw for the 2024 European Youth Championships will be held tomorrow (Thursday 13 June 2024 at 13:30) in Malmö. The draw will be streamed on the ETTU TV platform. The team seeding list players list in singles events players list and partner wanted list in doubles events playing system and general schedule were published today. All the documents you can see here. In the Under 19 Boys’ event there are 41 teams listed with Romania leading the seedings. Poland Germany France Hungary Croatia Spain and Belgium are among the top 8 teams. In the Under 19 Girls’ event the top 8 teams are Poland Germany France Romania Ukraine Czechia Spain and Italy. There are 36 teams listed. Last year in Gliwice Poland Romania clinched titles in both Under 19 Teams events. In the Under 15 Boys’ event among 38 teams listed the leading country is Poland followed by Italy Romania Czechia Hungary Türkiye France and Austria. Portugal is defending the title. There are 33 teams in the Under 15 Girls’ event with Germany Poland Hungary Czechia Austria Romania Portugal and Slovakia at the top. The reigning champion is Germany.
Istanbul’s ratified as 2027 European Games hosts at the 53rd EOC General Assembly in Bucharest
The European Olympic Committees’ (EOC) 53rd General Assembly in Bucharest reflected on its recent successes and the great strength of the European Olympic Movement ahead of a pathway of events and activities set to keep sport at the heart of the continent at the heart of sport. The General Assembly was joined at the Palace of Parliament by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas BACH Presidents of Europe’s National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and leaders from European and International Federations ahead of the Olympic Games’ return to Europe in less than 50 days’ time in Paris. Among the present leaders was ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA. “The Assembly was held in an excellent and professional atmosphere while we were being updated with what will be presented at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was great to receive the confirmation about another edition of the European Games in the beautiful city of Istanbul ” said President MOURA. Among the topics the use of AI created a lot of interest. “The General Assembly included a very interesting presentation on how artificial intelligence could be used in a positive way and how it could help sport’s development ” said MOURA. “I was extremely pleased with the organization of the General Assembly in Romania and very happy with the opportunity to meet a few members of the table tennis family who occupy positions in the National Olympic Committees. ITTF President Petra SORLING serving as a member of the IOC was also present. It was a very positive gathering where we received and shared a lot of information and knowledge in a great atmosphere.” EOC President Spyros CAPRALOS looked forward to Paris 2024 where European athletes are again expected to win more than 40% of the Olympic medals available. IOC President BACH addressed the General Assembly on the first day noting the strength of the relationship between the EOC and IOC especially in the mission to use sport as a driver for social development and peace building. “Relations between the EOC and IOC have reached new heights in the last couple of years and we are more aligned than ever when it comes in particular to our mission to make the world a better place through sport” IOC President BACH said. During the General Assembly Istanbul Türkiye was approved by the members as hosts for the 4th edition of the European Games in 2027 where the leadership of Mayor Ekrem İMAMOĞLU and the city’s passion and expertise promises to build on the sporting and financial success of the 3rd European Games Kraków-Małopolska 2023. President CAPRALOS confirmed in Bucharest that following the 2023 European Games a further €3 million will be distributed to NOCs to directly benefit athletes while Deloitte’s economic impact report revealed it was the most cost-effective edition of the Games yet to further strength the standing of Europe’s premier multi-sport event.
Member Associations showed strong interest in hosting ETTU future events
ETTU is pleased to announce that member Associations have shown great interest in hosting future ETTU events. For 11 events ETTU received 34 applications from 13 different Associations. The European Under 13 Championships and the European Under 21 Championships received the most applications highlighting the positive reception of ETTU’s investment in these categories among the member associations. “I am delighted with the reaction of our member Associations after we opened the bids for the 2026 and 2027 events. This means that the process we are using now is transparent simple and clear to everybody and that all the associations had the chance to host our ETTU events. I wish to congratulate all the member associations which presented their bids. I feel now that the ETTU Executive Board has a huge responsibility to select the best bids and hosts in order to maintain the high level of ETTU events we have demonstrated over the past couple of years ” said ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA. ETTU Acting Deputy President Heike AHLERT expressed her satisfaction with the level of interest: “As an Executive Board member responsible for ETTU events I am very happy to see that we have received so many applications from all over Europe for the events in 2026-2027. A few years ago we had to approach Associations and ask if they would be willing to host an event but that has changed completely. Now an average of three Associations apply for each event. I find it very pleasing that even five Associations have applied for our European Championships Under 21 and Under 13. From the ETTU’s point of view it is absolutely positive that these two events have been so well received.” Acting Deputy President AHLERT also reminded us that the European Under 21 Championships started in 2015 and the European Under 13 Championships began only in 2022 as a challenge event. “There is a lot of work ahead for the ETTU to find the best host in each case. The quality of the events has become more and more professional in recent years and I am sure that will be no different for the events already awarded in 2025 and those to be awarded in 2026-27.” The European Teams Championships Stage 1 in 2027 European Teams Championships Final Stage in 2027 European U21 Championships in 2026 and 2027 European Youth Championships in 2026 and 2027 European U13 Championships in 2026 and 2027 Europe Youth Top 10 in 2026 and 2027 and European Veterans Championships in 2027 all received multiple applications with some events receiving applications from up to five Associations. Inspections will be conducted in summer for 2026 events and in winter for 2027 events.
Romania clinched three out of four team titles at the Balkan Championships
On the eve of the European Championships in Malmö during the last test in the region it seems that Romania’s youth are heading toward another successful competition. At the 31st Balkan Championships held last week in Albena Bulgaria Romania’s teams clinched three out of four titles in the team events among the 11 participating countries this year. In the Junior Boys Teams event Romania clinched gold. Bulgaria is second while Türkiye and Greece finished third and fourth respectively. In the Junior Girls Teams event Romania topping the list with Bulgaria being second Moldova finishing third and Serbia fourth. In the Cadet Boys Teams event Romania clinched gold Türkiye silver with Bulgaria and Greece finishing third and fourth respectively. Moldova’s cadet girls clinched gold leaving Romania in the second position. Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third and fourth respectively. In the Junior Boys singles event Romania’s Dragos BUJOR overcame his teammate Horia URSUT in the final. Romania’s Robert PODAR and Bulgaria’s Yoan VELICHOV shared third place. In the Junior Girls singles Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania prevailed against Tsvetlana GEORGIEVA of Bulgaria in the match for gold. The semifinals saw Andrea TEGLAS of Romania and Viktoria PERSOVA of Bulgaria halted. In the Cadet Boys singles Berk OZTOPRAK of Türkiye clinched gold with silver going to his teammate Kenan Eren KAHRAMAN. Romania’s Robert ISTRATE and Bulgaria’s Miroslav SCHMIDT earned bronze medals. Serbia’s Maja VANJO won the Cadet Girls singles event defeating Alexandra DICU of Romania in the final. The semifinalists were Nina NIKOLOVA of Bulgaria and Iarina PRECUP of Romania.
Albena Bulgaria Hosts the 31st Balkan Youth Table Tennis Championship
Albena Bulgaria is the host of the 31st Balkan Youth Table Tennis Championship. This event serves as the ultimate test for the youth in the region before the 2024 European Youth Championships which will be held from July 12 to 21 in Malmö Sweden. Eleven countries are participating in the championship in Bulgaria: Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Montenegro Kosovo Moldova Romania North Macedonia Serbia Türkiye and Greece. The matches have already commenced with the Team events in the Group Stages. In the cadet girls’ category the leaders of their respective groups Türkiye Romania and Serbia won their opening matches. In the boys’ category Türkiye Romania and Greece have justified their statuses as leaders.
Dr. Časl Crowned Champions in the Grand Final Europe Trophy
Croatia’s Dr. Časl clinched the title at the Grand Final Europe Trophy played this weekend in Beočin Serbia. At the ultimate hurdle they overcame French side Pongiste Lyssois Lille Métropole CP. There aren’t many titles left for Dr. Časl to win; already the winners of the Champions League Mediterranean Cup Superleague twice and 16 times champions in Croatia’s league in both men’s and women’s categories (5+11). “And here we are now with the title in the Grand Final Europe Trophy. The only trophy missing is the Europe Cup and we hope to win it soon ” promised the club’s President Dr. Časl. The club’s star player Xia Lian NI has been with the team for six years. “This is the first time we played in the Trophy and it was not that easy. It might look like we were not challenged much but it was fierce competition here ” said NI. “For me it is a good opportunity to play against European players.” In the penultimate stage Dr. Časl showed no mercy against Austria’s SU Sparkasse Kufstein. Xia Lian NI Ho Ching LEE and Dorina SREBRNJAK overcame Anita NYITRAI Szandra PERGEL and Györgyi BENE in straight games. In the second duel Club Pongiste Lyssois Lille Métropole CP needed one more match to overcome Austria’s SCO Bodensdorf. Margo DEGRAEF Leonie HARTBRICH and Lilou MASSART defeated Lea PAULIN Katarina STRAZAR and Aleksandra VOVK 3-1. Final Club Pongiste Lyssois Lille Métropole CP – Dr.Časl 0-3 Leonie HARTBRICH – Xia Lian NI 0-3 (10-12 6-11 9-11) Rheann CHUNG – Ho Ching LEE 0-3 (7-11 10-12 4-11) Lilou MASSART – Dorina SREBRNJAK 1-3 (9-11 8-11 12-10 5-11)
