The recent 2nd Eurotalents Selection Camp held from August 4th to 11th 2023 in Kiskunfélegyháza Hungary counted the participation of 46 young players from 17 Member Associations. Guided by accomplished coaches participants displayed their abilities on the table aiming for a coveted spot in the Eurotalents program. The coaching team was consist by ETTU’s consultant coach Renata STRBIKOVA leading the way with her wealth of experience. Ferenc KARSAI the Head Coach and Organizer played a key role in making the event a success. Alongside Attila HALMAI served as the Assistant Coach to the organizer contributing to the camp’s smooth operation. Provas MODAL an accomplished assistant coach and Nevena KOSTOVA a dedicated physical coach completed the team ensuring holistic guidance for the players. The camp was marked by a competitive spirit as players put their all into rigorous training and tournament matches. The following young players who stood out as the top performers during the camp have earned their positions in the Eurotalents program for 2024. They will also be joining the players who were previously chosen earlier this year in Havirov (CZE): Girls Name Points Temperance TANG (BEL) 144 Ela Su YONTER (TUR) 142 5 Buse KOCAK (TUR) 140 Alexandra STOIAN (ROU) 139 Emilia PSCOLOVSKA (LTU) 136 5 Andreea DELEV (MDA) 136 5 Boys Name Points Daniel GSCHANES (AUT) 147 5 Emil Ellermann (SWE) 145 Ali Enes SEREN (TUR) 143 5 Ondrej MORAVEK (CZE) 142 Kuzey GUNDOGDU (TUR) 141 Andrei MISCISIN (MDA) 140 5
Head Youth Development Coach -Trainer Vacancy Belgium
The Belgium Table Tennis Association – Flemish part (VTTL) is looking for a Head Youth Development Coach for our high potential youth players (f.e. Matt Closset WTT WR U13 n° 13 …) and other future top youth players to complete the staff of 2 coaches and a physiotherapist. In this job Coach will be responsible for all aspects of the development and results of the players (planning training coaching before during and after tournaments). To fill this exciting and demanding role VTTL are looking for a dynamic individual with experience in international table tennis coaching and a commitment to contribute to the Flemish Table Tennis Federation’s elite youth program. Job description: Head Youth Development Coach Starting date : 1st of November 2023 (at the latest earlier is possible) General: • You fluently speak English / French and basic Dutch (after 1 year ) during training • You have the highest trainer-coaching degree in your country • Standard training location is Leuven Belgium .You will be flexible for trainings sessions and you are expected to travel abroad • You have adequate experience in working with elite and top youth players • You have a driver’s license • Salary : To be discussed ; Independent contract Duties and responsibilities : • End responsibility (together with the technical director) for sportive policy of the youth elite team (selection procedure season’s planning training planning …) • Participates at and leads the process of the youth center in Leuven as a trainer/coach throughout the entire season with a fixed amount of practices during the week as well as intensively during camps and the preparation phase of major tournaments (European and World Youth championships Europe Top 10 …) • Making a season’s planning periodisation weekly schedules technical/tactical analysis for all the youth players (in agreement with the technical director) • Takes the sportive lead during major tournaments • Advising and supporting role in the Sports & Study project of the federation and regional training • Monitors (together with the technical director) the development line in Flemish table tennis • Reports to the Elite sports commission of the federation and the high performance technical director. Applications can be send and discussed : info@vttl.be and +32 498 475 828 If you think you got what it takes ..we look forward to hear from you .Please send your letter and CV before 1st of October 2023 to info@vttl.be
WTT Champions Frankfurt – as hard as the Olympics or World Championships
Six weeks following the conclusion of the European Championships finals the WTT Champions Frankfurt scheduled to take place in Germany from October 29 to November 5 stands as the premier table tennis event of the autumn. The Süwag Energie Arena will host an elite gathering of the world’s top 30 male and female players along with two wildcard entries each. Spectator tickets for all eight days are still available. “The hallmark of these tournaments is that they assemble the absolute best. The level of competition is exceedingly high. It’s as challenging to win the Champions as it is the Olympics or World Championships ” states the top seed in Malmö’s men’s event representing Team Germany Dang QIU the reigning European singles champion . The illustrious lineup includes China’s luminaries MA Long FAN Zhendong WANG Chuqin and LIANG Jinkun alongside Japan’s superstar Tomokazu HARIMOTO Sweden’s 2021 World Championships finalist Truls MÖREGARDH Taiwan’s Olympic fourth-placer LIN Yun-Ju Brazil’s thrilling Hugo CALDERANO and Germany’s own Dang QIU Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Patrick FRANZISKA and Ruwen FILUS. Additionally Timo BOLL currently lower in the world rankings due to a shoulder injury is a prime contender for a wildcard entry. The European record Champion is eager to partake expressing “After all it’s a true home game for me ” with his hometown of Höchst being a mere 50 km from Frankfurt. In the women’s category China’s Olympic trio CHEN Meng SUN Yingsha and WANG Manyu along with World Doubles Champion WANG Yidi would grace the event. Japan’s formidable competitors Mima ITO Hina HAYATA and Tomokazu HARIMOTO’s 15-year-old sister Miwa as well as Puerto Rico’s “Sportswoman of the Decade” Adriana DIAZ European Champion Sofia POLCANOVA from Austria Romania’s European Games champion Bernadette SZOCS and Germany’s team World Championships bronze medalists Ying HAN Nina MITTELHAM and Xiaona SHAN complete the impressive lineup. The WTT Champions Frankfurt is replete with stars as Dang QIU notes “Significant prize money and substantial world ranking points are on the line. Every participant is meticulously prepared and driven ” adding that “riveting matches emerge right from the start demanding intense focus. As the name suggests it’s truly a champion’s format.” The tournament features various offerings including a Family Day special discounts for clubs and a fan village adjacent to the arena with food trucks and interactive events. Ticket options span four categories: regular tickets in categories 1 and 2 supplemented by VIP gold and platinum variants. Platinum ticket holders enjoy unparalleled proximity to the action with 20 “Courtside seats” at the center court along the octagonal Infinity Court. Fans can tailor their experience selecting tickets based on single sessions (afternoon or evening) full days the finals weekend or complete eight-day center court access. Prices range from ten Euros for an afternoon session in category 2 to 1 625 euros for the Platinum season ticket. For tickets and the latest updates visit the WTT website at www.worldtabletennis.com/frankfurt.
Welcome to the Malmö 2023 European Championships
The upcoming European Table Tennis Championships in Malmö Sweden are fast approaching (10 – 17 September 2023) and both ETTU and the Swedish Table Tennis Association are eagerly looking forward to welcoming all participants to this significant event which stands as a crown jewel of European table tennis. We would like to provide you with some essential information regarding tickets and potential hotel accommodations for esteemed guests from the European table tennis community. Malmö as the third-largest city in Sweden is conveniently accessible. The venue Malmö Arena was established in 2008 and has played host to various remarkable events including the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013 (scheduled for a return in 2024) the Junior Ice Hockey World Championships in 2014 and the Handball World Championships in 2011. Malmö Arena is conveniently situated only a twelve-minute train ride away from Copenhagen International Airport featuring round-the-clock departures. Upon arrival at Hyllie Station the venue is just a short walk up the stairs. Tickets both regular and VIP can be obtained through the following link. Additionally packages inclusive of both tickets and hotel accommodations are available here. For inquiries you can easily reach out to them via phone at +46 8 500 000 45 or via email at kontakt@nojesresor.se to inquire about prices and availability. For further details kindly visit the official website. If you have a desire to contribute as a volunteer we invite you to learn more about this opportunity by visiting the following link.
EYC shook up the August rankings
The European August Rankings are now available online. The senior’s rankings have seen no major movements due to the summer break but it’s a different story for the youth categories. After the ORLEN European Youth Championships in Gliwice the Under 19 and Under 15 Boys and Girls Rankings have been heavily affected. In the Men’s singles rankings Darko JORGIC of Slovenia remains at the top followed by QIU Dang and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany in the second and third positions respectively. Marcos FREITAS of Portugal is fourth on the list. Alexis LEBRUN of France moved up two places and is now one position above his brother Felix who stays at position no. 6. Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden moved up one place to position no. 7 one place above his compatriot Truls MOREGARD who dropped three places. Andrej GACINA of Croatia is ninth and Anders LIND of Denmark moves up two places to conclude the top 10 list. In the Women’s Top 10 there were no changes this month. HAN Ying of Germany holds the leading position followed by Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Nina MITTELHAM of Germany YUAN Jia Nan of France Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania YANG Xiaoxin of Monaco SHAO Jieni and YU Fu of Portugal and Natalia BAJOR of Poland. The winner of the Under 19 Singles Event in Gliwice Eduard IONESCU of Romania is the new No. 1 in the August Rankings in the Under 19 category. Milos REDZIMSKI of Poland who reached the final of the European Youth Championships climbed 52 positions up to the second place in the rankings this month. Semi-finalists Teodor ISTRATE of Romania moved up five places to position no. 3. His compatriot Iulian CHIRITA who reached the quarters moved up two positions to place no. 4. Another Romanian benefiting from his quarterfinal appearance is Darius MOVILEANU who moved up two positions to be fifth. French Hugo DESCHAMPS and Czech Simon BELIK both dropped three positions and now hold the sixth and seventh positions respectively. A major “jump” was made by Kas VAN OOST of the Netherlands who climbed 56 places up to the eighth position thanks to his semifinal performance in Poland. Mateusz ZALEWSKI OF Poland also progressed moving up four places to be ninth and Thibault PORET of France remains tenth. In the Under 19 Girls Event in Gliwice the winner Elena ZAHARIA of Romania justified her excellent status and remained at position no. 1 in August. Her teammate and finalist in Gliwice Ioana SINGEORZAN moved up two positions to be second while Anna HURSEY of Wales moved up seven places to be third. Another bronze medalist Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania made a 10-place jump to be fourth this month. Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia who played in the quarterfinal is fifth (four places up). Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland remained sixth while Mia GRIESEL of Germany moved up 8 places. Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA also progressed to the 8th position while Italy’s Nicole ARLIA dropped four places. The top 10 is closed by Lilou MASSART of Belgium who moved up two places. The winner of the Under 15 Boys Event at EYC Portugal’s Tiago ABIODUN is now the leader in the rankings. He is one place above Julian RZIHAUSCHEK of Austria. The list continues with Flavien COTON of France and Patryk ZYWORONEK of Poland who went up 17 positions thanks to his place in the final. Petr HODINA of Austria clinched bronze and moved up 21 positions. In the top 10 Sandro CAVAILLE of France went up 37 positions to be 8th and Nathan PILLARD of France moved up 25 places to be tenth. Bronze medalist from Gliwice Leana HOCHART of France replaced Josephina NEUMANN of Germany at the leading position in the Under 15 rankings. The winner of the event Hanka KODETOVA of the Czechia is now sixth. You can see full rankings here.
The media accreditation application for the European Championship in Malmö is available now
The press accreditation application for the European Championship in Malmö (from 10th to 17th September) is now available online. Media representatives can apply for accreditation by clicking the link below and filling out the form. The application form will remain open until September 1st. Please note that accreditation is subject to availability and we may not be able to grant all requests due to limited capacity. If your application is approved you will receive a confirmation via email. To apply for press accreditation please use the following link. The deadline for submitting applications is Friday September 1st.
ETTU and FFTT Conduct First Webinar on Virtual Table Tennis
In a pioneering initiative the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) collaborated with the French Table Tennis Federation (FFTT) to organize the first-ever webinar on virtual table tennis. The virtual event held recently aimed to explore the potential of this emerging form of the sport and how it could engage a broader audience. For those who missed the live webinar the entire session has been uploaded and is available for viewing on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/6tNSoBCvBCc. The attendees of the webinar were treated to a comprehensive introduction to ElevenVR Game a virtual table tennis experience presented by its developers. Moreover the webinar delved into the numerous benefits of virtual table tennis and its potential to reach a wider and diverse audience. This form of the game opens up new opportunities for players fans and curious newcomers to experience the thrill of table tennis from the comfort of their own homes. With virtual table tennis the geographical constraints are eliminated allowing enthusiasts from all corners of the globe to connect and compete. One of the highlights of the webinar was the insightful presentation by FFTT on their successful implementation of virtual table tennis in France. FFTT offered practical insights and strategies that have proven effective in engaging players and enthusiasts in their country.
OVTCHAROV in Olympiacos and LEBESSON in Panathinaikos
The Greek championship is welcoming two European champions in men’s singles for the first time. In the list of the first transfers of the season announced on 28/07 by the Greek Table Tennis Federation (E.F.O.E.A.) there are the prominent names of Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Emmanuel LEBESSON. The German OVTCHAROV is a two-time European men’s singles champion a record holder in Olympic medals with 6 and a titleholder in the World Cup. He has joined the reigning champion Olympiacos making him the most significant player to come to the Greek A1 League. “Beside my German Team TTC Neu Ulm where we will fight to win the Champions League trophy this year I am excited to join Olympiacos. Many strong players like PITCHFORD GACINA PUCAR play or played for this team and I see how the League gets stronger and stronger every year. The manager Nikos convinced me from the concept of the club and which reminds me of my time in Villete Charleroi. I am excited for this challenge I am confident it will help me on my way of a great preparation to the Paris Olympics“ said OVTCHAROV. Season 2022/23 was a fantastic season for the table tennis department of Olympiacos since the players won the Europe Trophy Cup in Piraeus and did the same in Cup and Championships. “The Team Manager of the club Katerina SPANOU our Head Coach Giorgos CHRISTOFORAKIS and I are working hard every day under a specific plan which is to make Olympiacos one of the elite clubs in European table tennis. But nothing would have happened without the unlimited support of our President Michalis KOUNTOURIS. The addition of Dima OVTCHAROV at men’s team for the season 2023/24 is part of this plan and we are very happy that he will represent Olympiacos and that we will have such a great athlete and personality in our club. Along with Joao MONTEIRO Tomislav PUCAR Antonino AMATO and our Greek players Anastasios RINIOTIS Giannis SGOUROPOULOS and Giorgos STAMATOUROS we are willing to make the Double Title in Greece for a third consecutive year ” announced Transfers Planning Manager Nikos SIRIGONAKIS. Olympiacos women’s team will be even stronger at the season 2023/24 with the come back of LI Fen and together with Margaryta PESOTSKA Georgina POTA Galia DVORAK and Greeks Aliki KIOUFI Despoina DANDOULA and Maria CHRISTOFORAKI. They will try to make the Double in Greece as well. “This season I represent team Olympiacos in Greece and Sudtirol in Italy. It will be my third year in Greek championship and second year in Italian. I am very happy to play with the strongest players from Europe and I hope to show my best performance and win the title. Looking forward to participate in Trophy with Olympiacos team and looking forward for our new achievements together ” said PESOTSKA. The French LEBESSON who became European men’s singles champion in 2016 and won the mixed doubles in 2022 will team up with Panathinaikos the winner of the Attica Cup. Both OVTCHAROV and LEBESSON were born in 1988. The two top clubs and main contenders for titles in the country made the most significant moves from abroad this year as well while they also renewed their collaborations with other foreign players. Similar reinforcement was sought after by other clubs in the A1 category and it is noteworthy that 56 transfers of foreign players were approved for the 2023-2024 season. Apart from OVTCHAROV and LEBESSON the new agreements for A1 teams with foreign players are: The Swede Victor BRODD who joined Panathinaikos The Swede Simon ARVIDSSON and the French Antoine DOYEN who agreed with AEK The Spaniard Jesus CANTERO and the Pole Damian VENDROUK who will compete for OEA Rethymno The Pole Jan Milosz SAVTSAK for Aris Nikaia The Hungarian Daniel KOSIBA (who has won two Greek championships with AEK) and the Swede Martin FRIIS for OEA Thessaloniki The Bulgarian Petio KRASTEV and the Cypriot Christos CHRISTONOV for AS Pera Athens. Seven out of eight top men’s teams will have at least one foreign player on their roster. As for new faces in the A1 women’s category it should be noted that: Olympiacos welcomes back after two years the Swedish LI Fen former European women’s singles champion Panathinaikos strengthens with the Swedish Matilda HANSSON AEK acquired the Romanian Alina ZAHARIA and the Bulgarian Kalina CHRISTOVA AS Pera Athens secured Tatiana VLADIMIROVNA from Portugal and HAN Thessaloniki signed Tsveltina GEORGIEVA from Bulgaria. By renewing collaborations only one team GAO Piraeus has Greek athletes among its foreign players.
Clear victory for Romania – 17 overall medals
The 2023 ORLEN European Youth Championships are now behind us. After 10 days of fierce battles Romania is at the top of the medal standings with the most number of gold medals – 6 and the most overall medals – 17. Poland Germany and Portugal follow. It is a clear victory for Romania achieving 6 gold medals just like in 2022 but also securing more silver and bronze medals. Behind the numbers lie more interesting facts: In the Under 15 Girls Singles Hanka KODETOVA and Nina GUO Zheng played the youngest final ever. Both are still Under 13. While KODETOVA reached the semifinals of the U13 championships in June in Zagreb here she won the Under 15 title. Only two Under 13 players did that before her: Otilia BADESCU in 1983 and Olga NEMES in 1981. Good company to be in. In the Under 15 Boys Singles Tiago ABIODUN followed in the footsteps of Marcos FREITAS who won the cadet boys in 2002 and the junior boys in 2006 and was until now the only Portuguese player with a singles title in youth championships. In Under 19 Girls Elena ZAHARIA won two titles at these European Youth Championships raising her total number to 7 which brings her into the top 10 of the best players at the EYC. She is now on par with Galia DVORAK. The record holder is Vladimir SAMSONOV with 13 titles. In the girls’ category Adina DIACONU leads this ranking with 12 titles. In Under 19 Girls Doubles Zuzana WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA are the first Polish players to win this title. In Under 15 Boys doubles Patryk ZYWORONEK and Mateusz SAKOVICZ are the first full Polish pair to win this title. In 2006 (Pjotr CHODORSKI) and 2018 (Maciej KUBIK) there were Polish winners but both had Croatian partners (CHODORSKI with Borna KOVAC and KUBIK with Ivor BAN). European Youth Championships Table Tennis 2023 Medals table Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Romania 6 4 7 17 2 Poland 2 2 3 7 3 Germany 2 2 2 6 4 Portugal 2 1 1 4 5 France 1 4 6 11 6 Czechia 1 1 2 4 7 Austria 2 2 4 8 Spain 3 3 8 Italy 3 3 10 Croatia 1 1 10 Wales 1 1 10 Netherlands 1 1 10 Türkiye 1 1
Eduard IONESCU crowned champion in Under 19 Singles Event -again
In a fantastic final Eduard IONESCU of Romania secured the gold medal for the second year in a row in the Under 19 Boys singles at the ORLEN European Youth Championships. In the final he overcame Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland. The bronze medalists are Kas VAN OOST of the Netherlands and Teodor ISTRATE of Romania. IONESCU needed five games to overcome Milosz REDZIMSKI (8 5 -8 9 12). “I am so proud I managed to defend my title. I had a really slow start here. I was not at the top of my game in the team’s event at the beginning. I needed some time to adjust to the venue. However as the tournament went by I was playing better and better. By the time I got to the finals everything fell into place. Milosz already beat one of my teammates so I was well prepared for his game. Even so it was not much helpful. He has a very unique service game and I lacked a bit of my own experience of playing against him since I never did. It is good that in the Round of 16 I won the hardest match for me here. Beating Thibault PORET after being 1-3 down boosted my confidence and eventually brought me to the gold ” said IONESCU. Milosz REDZIMSKI moved to the ultimate stage after a convincing victory over Kas of the Netherlands in a match that lasted four games (7 6 6 4). “I’m really happy to make it to the finals of this tournament. In the semifinals I played very well against the opponent from the Netherlands. He played a good game too but I was really confident and made good decisions. For me it is important that I’m well-rested. In the previous days I had a big problem with that so I couldn’t play my best table tennis. Now I feel very strong and I hope that I will play a good game in the final ” said REDZIMSKI and added: “I was better than VAN OOST in service and receive. That was really important because later I could take the initiative and win the points.” In the other semifinal Eduard IONESCU overcame Teodor ISTRATE (1 -7 -9 7 8 8). “It is sad when you have to stop your friend in such an important match. We train together play together travel together we are like a family. Despite my victory I am not 100 percent happy because I feel bad for Teodor ” said IONESCU. “On the other side I am very happy with my performance and I hope I can maintain it in the final that lies ahead of me.”
