International Events | 29 Mar 2023
TTX EU Format project ... more FUN more LIFE presented today in Italy
The project "TTX EU Format ... more FUN more LIFE", organized by the Italian Table Tennis Federation, as part of a European call within the ERASMUS + funding line, has been presented today on Zoom platform. The program covers education, training, youth and sport in Europe.
The project is carried out by the Italian Table Tennis Federation in collaboration with Real Federación Española de Tenis de Mesa, Federation Francaise de Tennis de Table, Federação Portuguesa De Ténis De Mesa, Polish Table Tennis Association, Table Tennis Federation of Latvia, Malta Table Tennis Association,Namiznoteniška zveza Slovenije, Hungarian Table Tennis Association and Cyprus Table Tennis Association.
The online meeting was attended by Acting president of the European Table Tennis Union Pedro MOURA, President of the International Table Tennis Federation Petra SÖRLING, President of the Italian Table Tennis Federation Renato Di NAPOLI, President and CHIEF Executive Officer of Sport e Salute Spa, Vito COZZOLI, ITTF Senior Advisor Stefano BOSI and Secretary General of FITeT Giuseppe MARINO.
"It is very special moment for the European table tennis. This is ITTF project but it is mainly supported and gained a lot of popularity in Europe. FITET have been main engine of spreading the idea of TTX all over the Continent. We are extremely proud that 10 European associations are the part of this Project, which is very well prepared, very well organized, and well promoted by the Italian national Federation. This is the excellent tool to promote our sport. It is, also, a positive tool to approach our sport to the community and above all it is very fun," said ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA who admitted he had great fun playing it. "
The main topic was Table Tennis X, a new fun and inclusive discipline conceived by the International Table Tennis Federation, which FITeT promoted in October 2019, hosting the "Roma Ping Pong Fest ... a TTX Experience" at via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome. It gathered over 40,000 visitors and in next two years it was attended by thousands of people. TTX uses wooden rackets, without rubber covers, and bigger and heavier balls than table tennis, and can be played by anyone, regardless of technical ability, and anywhere.
"TTX is a great sport which reminds me of our ITTF slogan "Table Tennis for all, for life!" In fact, TTX is so inclusive that it can be played by all age groups and anywhere. Any table can be a TTX table. TTX was at first appreciated for its fun appeal but later became really professional. It kicked off on a great start in 2019 thanks to the Italian Table Tennis Federation's fantastic event in Rome but then had to grind to a halt due to the worldwide pandemic. Now, fortunately we are on the go again with this great European initiative, captained once again by the Italian Table Tennis Federation," said ITTF President SORLING.
"TTX EU Format ... more FUN more LIFE, based on the collaboration of Italy, Cyprus, France, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, has the objective to create a European format which, involving young people aged 11 to 18, encourages the habit of practicing sport through the diffusion of TTX.
“This is an important moment for our Federation. The initial moment was the great event we organized in Rome in via dei Fori Imperiali in October 2019 and subsequently we developed the initiative further. There are ten European countries participating with us. I am sure that many young people between the ages of 11 and 18 will respond to our call, as well as the clubs that will organize the various stages with the Federations that will lead us to the final event in Rome. The presence here today of the top executives of the ITTF and ETTU confirms the importance of the project. I am grateful to everyone for the contribution you are giving and will give to the success of the project,” said FITT President Renato Di NAPOLI.
Each partner Federation will have to promote the project initiatives on its own territory, through national and local Media, select a school and two physical education teachers in a disadvantaged area of a city and organize within it, between April and May, a TTX tournament, involving 100 students (target 8-11 years). They will also have to organize a stage of the TTX Europe Tour in a peripheral area of a city, with the partecipation of at least 200 young people.
TTX Europe Tour includes, between June and July, 19 stages, nine in the European partner countries and ten in Italy. The 19 winners of the school and of the Tour tournaments will be invited, each together with a companion, to take part in the finals, which will take place in Rome in October (from 6th to 8th), during the conclusive three-day event. There will also be a third tournament, which will see in action two not competitive athletes for each gender, belonging to each Association Partner.
The website www.ttxeuformat.com is already operational and so are the social media Facebook @ttxeuformat and Instagram (ttxeuformat).
