Table tennis once again showed its ability to bring people together as Chinese and European players met in Brussels for the China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Tournament, celebrating friendship, exchange and a shared passion for the sport.
The ETTU was represented at the event by Vice President Didier LEROY and Secretary General Pierre KASS. LEROY also addressed the participants during the opening ceremony alongside H.E. Mr Cai Run, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union.
“The China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Tournament is a wonderful initiative that brings people together through the universal language of sport. It creates a unique opportunity to strengthen friendship, dialogue and mutual understanding between China and Europe. We are proud to support this spirit of friendship and cooperation through table tennis,” said ETTU Vice President Didier LEROY.
Hosted by the Mission of China to the European Union at the Royal Alpa Table Tennis Club, the event brought together 24 players. Twelve represented the Chinese Mission to the EU, the Chinese Embassy in Belgium and other Chinese institutions based in Brussels, while 12 European table tennis enthusiasts from Euroclub represented EU institutions.
Friendship rather than results was at the heart of the event. The participants were divided into six mixed teams of four, with Chinese and European players competing side by side in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
The opening ceremony also included a symbolic first serve, officially opening a morning of table tennis, interaction and exchange.
Among the distinguished guests were former Olympic and World Champions Yan SEN and Zhang YINING, who are involved with China Table Tennis College and CTTC Europe, adding another strong link between the European and Chinese table tennis communities.
At the conclusion of the competition, Didier LEROY and Ambassador Cai Run jointly presented the awards to the winning teams before players and guests gathered for an informal lunch, offering another opportunity to continue conversations and strengthen connections away from the table.
For ETTU, the gathering highlighted a role that table tennis has played for generations, bringing people from different countries and cultures closer together. The long tradition of table tennis exchanges between Europe and China has created many sporting and personal connections, and the Brussels event added another chapter to that relationship.
More than simply a tournament, the China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Event showed how a shared love of the sport can create an easy and natural meeting point between people, cultures and institutions.
