The Finnish Table Tennis Championships for individuals will take place on March 23rd-24th at the Vuores House in Tampere. Over the weekend champions will be crowned in men’s and women’s singles and doubles as well as mixed doubles. In men’s singles Benedek OLÁH has been the dominant force for nearly a decade. Since 2011 OLÁH has clinched the championship 11 out of the 12 times he has participated in the national championships. The toughest competition for the Rio Olympian is expected to come from young talents such as Alex NAUMI Aleksi RÄSÄNEN and Sam KHOSRAVI. Our more experienced players like Toni SoIne and junior player Lassi LEHTOLA will also be in contention. “I hope Valasti will play. The national championships wouldn’t be the same without Pasi’s ‘snuffle’. It’s always nice to come to Finland to compete. My goal is to win two championships but I don’t feel any pressure about it. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone anymore. We will see some new faces at least in the quarterfinals ” says OLÁH. The favorite in women’s singles also comes from the list of reigning champions. 41-year-old Marina DONNER is aiming for her fourth consecutive title in Tampere. She won’t have an easy path as Maria GIRLEA Ramona BETZ and Jannika OKSANEN have shown good form throughout the season. “My goal is to secure a medal – any color will do. This way I don’t put too much pressure on myself. Of course I want to defend my title as I’m in good shape. Hopefully there will be tough matches ” DONNER anticipates. The competitions begin on Saturday at 10:00 AM and on Sunday at 9:30 AM with the finals scheduled to start at 3:00 PM. Ruutu and ISTV will stream the finals on their platforms. Esko HEIKKINEN will be the commentator with Pasi VALASTI providing expert analysis. Link to livestream: https://www.is.fi/aihe/live/

Apuania Carrara lifted their fifth Italian Cup trophy in front of their fans marking a special achievement in the club’s history. This victory adds to their previous wins in 2018 2021 2022 and 2023. The club led by president Guglielmo BELLOTTI achieved their goal in front of their supporters defeating Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether 3-0 in the finals. Marcozzi Cagliari lost 3-1 to the Sicilian team in the semifinals and secured third place. In the opening doubles match Mihai BOBOCICA and Tomislav PUCAR defeated Antonino AMATO and Niagol STOYANOV in straight games. The first singles match between Andrej GACINA and Tommaso GIOVANNETTI was closely contested with the player from Apuania Carrara emerging victorious in the fifth and decisive set. Similarly the match between PUCAR and STOYANOV was tightly contested in the first three games but PUCAR dominated the fourth game securing victory with a 10-0 lead and converting the second match point. “Obviously ” said Apuania Carrara coach Claudio VOLPI who led the team alongside manager Alessandro MERCIADRI “the 3-0 scoreline does not accurately reflect the players’ abilities on the court but matches are decided by details. GACINA’s victory in the sudden death fifth set was pivotal. We performed well in the doubles exceeding our expectations. The second singles match was thrilling with PUCAR and STOYANOV evenly matched in the first three sets. However PUCAR elevated his game in the fourth set demonstrating remarkable skill. Despite this victory every encounter starts from scratch and each match is a battle that could go either way. Table tennis demands intense concentration and a match can be lost in a matter of seconds due to a lapse in focus. Playing at home adds pressure but winning in front of our supporters is incredibly satisfying.” The semifinals Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether – Marcozzi Cagliari 3-1 Antonino AMATO/Niagol STOYANOV – SUN Shiyu/Federico VALLINO COSTASSA 3-1 (11-9 11-5 4-11 11-7) Matteo MUTTI – Jorge CAMPOS 2-3 (9-11 11-8 11-4 7-11 5-6) Niagol STOYANOV – Federico VALLINO COSTASSA 3-1 (11-7 11-13 11-5 11-2) Matteo MUTTI – SUN Shiyu 3-0 (12-10 11-4 11-0) The finals Apuania Carrara – Top Spin Messina WachesTogether 3-0 Mihai BOBOCICA/Tomislav PUCAR – Antonino AMATO/Niagol STOYANOV 3-0 (11-6 11-6 11-4) Andrej GACINA – Tommaso GIOVANNETTI 3-2 (13-11 9-11 11-9 11-13 6-5) Tomislav PUCAR – Niagol STOYANOV 3-1 (11-13 11-9 13-11 11-1)

Brunetti Castel Goffredo clinched their sixth Italian Cup confirming predictions and adding to their trophies from 2018 2019 2021 2022 and 2023. In the finals held at Palasport in Avenza of Carrara the reigning champions defeated ASV TT Südtirol 3-1 who had previously overcome Quattro Mori Cagliari 3-1 in the semifinals to secure third place. In the doubles match Nicole ARLIA and Nikoleta STEFANOVA took a two-set lead but were caught up by Gaia MONFARDINI and Debora VIVARELLI who ultimately prevailed in the deciding set played at the best of six points with “sudden death” at 5-5. Solomiya BRATEYKO started well in the first singles match but Bernadette SZOCS adjusted her game and won the following three sets. The second singles match was tightly contested. VIVARELLI was leading by two sets to one and 6-3 in the fourth game when ARLIA made a comeback and converted her third match point in the decider. SZOCS secured the decisive point against MONFARDINI bringing the cup to Castel Goffredo. “It was a difficult match ” coach Alfonso LAGHEZZA explained. ” Congratulations to the girls. I believe they could have played better in some situations but at this moment of the season they are a little tired and we are also preparing for the Italian Championships. In the doubles we were up 2-0 but the opponents changed tactics and we struggled to adapt. We also missed some easy balls which could have been decisive. However it was a good test for Nicole and Nikoleta who will play together at the Italian Championships. We will work this week to fix what didn’t work. In the first singles Bernadette faced difficulties against BRATEYKO who has a somewhat slow game for her. She had to adapt but she managed to win. She gave us a huge help especially considering how fierce the opponents were today. Nicole also had some problems being 2-1 behind against VIVARELLI and trailing in the fourth set. She still lacks the maturity she needs especially in difficult moments. Sometimes she has to accept that other players will find solutions and she still finds it a little difficult to manage these situations. This is part of her growth path and when she takes this extra step she will handle critical moments of the match more easily. In the last singles SZOCS showed the right attitude to beat VIVARELLI who forced her to fight more during the season.” Semifinals ASV TT Südtirol – Quattro Mori Cagliari 3-1 Gaia MONFARDINI/Debora VIVARELLI – Arianna BARANI/Tania PLAIAN 3-2 (7-11 12-10 11-8 10-12 6-1) Solomiya BRATEYKO – WU Xinxin 3-1 (6-11 11-4 11-3 11-7) Debora VIVARELLI – Tania PLAIAN 1-3 (11-9 8-11 9-11 9-11) Solomiya BRATEYKO – Arianna BARANI 3-1 (9-11 11-6 11-5 11-4) Finals Brunetti Castel Goffredo – ASV TT Südtirol 3-1 Nicole ARLIA/Nikoleta STEFANOVA – Gaia MONFARDINI/Debora VIVARELLI 2-3 (11-8 11-6 7-11 3-11 3-6) Bernadette SZOCS – Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-1 (9-11 11-6 11-9 11-3) Nicole ARLIA – Debora VIVARELLI 3-2 (11-6 8-11 6-11 11-7 6-4) Bernadette SZOCS – Debora VIVARELLI 3-0 (11-5 11-9 11-7)

The Hungarian Table Tennis Association celebrating its centenary and the city of Győr provided a fitting prelude to the national championship at Friday’s press conference: the county seat on the banks of the Rába is increasingly hosting more high-quality sports events and after the European Shooting Championships the Olympic Sportpark will be the worthy venue for the most prestigious domestic table tennis competition taking place between March 22 and 24. As for the national championship the ball will bounce on twelve tables and the three-day event will be enriched by professional matches. The goal is to restore the prestige of the national championship and the matches promise to provide good entertainment for the hopefully large audience. It is a positive sign that as is customary the national championships are also held in other European countries on the same weekend so the adult and age group national teams will be present among the one hundred and fifty participants in Győr. The mayor of the city Csaba András DÉZSI emphasized that significant events were organized in the city during the time of his Olympic champion predecessor and the current city leadership continues this tradition with the addition that alongside elite programs more and more people should participate in various sports. Therefore it is important that the locals can witness the current best of Hungarian table tennis up close a sport with significant traditions. Deputy Mayor Szabolcs SZELES added that Győr’s national reputation in the economic commercial cultural and educational sectors also extends to sports: the city has previously achieved results in the sport and currently excels in para-sports exemplified by Alexa SZVITACS. The briefing concluded with an extraordinary demonstration: the ambassadors of Hungarian table tennis world champions Gábor GERGELY István JÓNYER Tibor KLAMPÁR and Tibor KREISZ played with the mayor of the city all wearing festive T-shirts prepared for the championship with the inscription “My Heart is with Hungarian Table Tennis.” The defending champions of the 2023 national championship are as follows: Men’s Singles – Ádám SZUDI Women’s Singles – Dóra MADARÁSZ Men’s Doubles – Ádám SZUDI Nándor ECSEKI Women’s Doubles – Bernadett BÁLINT Mercédesz NAGYVÁRADI Mixed Doubles – Dóra MADARÁSZ Nándor ECSEKI

The pinnacle of this year’s season in the Czech Republic is fast approaching. The men’s and women’s national championships are set to take place from March 22nd to 24th at the Řepy Sports Center in Prague and the top Czech players are eagerly anticipating the battle for the championship titles. Last year in Havířov Pavel ŠIRUČEK and Zdena BLAŠKOVÁ clinched the gold medals in singles. Both face stiff competition this year. In recent years the top-seeded players have not always emerged victorious in the singles events. For instance last year long-time Czech number one Hana MATELOVÁ suffered her first singles defeat at the national championship since 2017. She had previously won five consecutive titles but did not compete in Kutná Hora in 2022. Last year she lost in the semi-finals to Zdena BLAŠKOVÁ. It’s evident that she will be eager to reclaim her throne but BLAŠKOVÁ along with contenders like Kateřina TOMANOVSKÁ Linda ZÁDĚROVÁ and Helena SOMMEROVÁ will be determined to thwart her intentions. Additionally we cannot overlook the rising talent of cadet Hanka KODETOVÁ who is already putting pressure on the top Czech women in terms of performance. The men’s competition promises to be equally captivating. Last year Pavel ŠIRUČEK added to his 2019 title and now boasts a total of four gold medals. His primary challengers are expected to be Jiří VRÁBLÍK David REITŠPIES and Jiří MARTINKO. And then there’s Lubomír JANČAŘÍK. The seasoned competitor and highest-ranked Czech player in the world rankings have yet to secure a singles title in his career which is somewhat surprising. His motivation will undoubtedly be immense.

In conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 8th the Swedish Table Tennis Association unveiled its Female Development Strategy for the period 2024-2028. This comprehensive document is the culmination of approximately two years of preparatory work aimed at increasing female participation in Swedish table tennis. “I am extremely pleased that the inaugural edition of the Female Strategy which we have diligently worked on for over a year is now being released. It feels gratifying to share this vision with our entire community. This marks the first step towards developing Swedish table tennis for females in a more sustainable manner and throughout this process we have actively listened to the voices and input of girls and women within the community to ensure their needs are addressed. This strategic document is a dynamic work in progress subject to regular evaluation and updates. We aim for the entire table tennis community to benefit from the strategy and encourage their active participation and contribution to this vital cause ” says Maria CHRISTOFORAKI Female Development Strategist at the Swedish TTA. The strategic publication outlines a long-term roadmap towards achieving set goals for Swedish table tennis in a sustainable manner focusing on four key areas: Participation Leadership Activities and Competition Values and Visibility. To effectively increase female participation in Swedish table tennis collaboration and teamwork are paramount both locally and nationally. “In 2021 the Swedish Table Tennis Association launched a concentrated program to tackle one of Swedish table tennis’s biggest challenges – increasing the number of female participants and members. Since its inception the program has had a clear focus and goal: to create a strategy and alignment for the future that as many people as possible can adhere to and utilize as a guiding tool in their daily recruiting efforts and to boost female representation in general. I am confident that this published strategy will be immensely beneficial and I extend my best wishes to everyone as they delve into it ” says Dennis LINDAHL Chairman of the STTA board. The Female Strategy 2024-2028 is now available on the STTA website.