European Veterans Championships | 24 May 2024

Novi Sad to Host the 2025 European Veterans Championships

The ETTU Executive Board is pleased to announce that the 2025 European Veterans Championships, awarded to the Table Tennis Association of Serbia, will be held at the Novi Sad Fair from June 15th to June 22nd.

Initially the Championship should have been held in Belgrade however Novi Sad provided with the best conditions.

The European Veterans Championships 2025 will take place at the Novi Sad Fair, the largest fairground in Serbia, spanning over 200,000 m². The indoor area under the roof is about 60,000 m², and the space that will be used for table tennis competitions includes the two largest halls of 6,000 and 4,000 square meters, as well as three halls for warming up. The atrium, which connects the two halls, will feature stands with information on tourist potentials, a cultural info desk, stands representing veterans' associations from Europe, the ETTU stand and stands for sports equipment.

There will also be a large restaurant area with 600 seats, and in the courtyard of the fairground, which is a closed area (for championship participants only), there will be a food court, fun corner, music stages, and a large parking area in the back of the fairground where the warming up halls are located. In total, there will be 150 tables, of which 115 are competition tables.

The organizer will offer competitors accommodation in hotels in Novi Sad and the surrounding area with organized shuttle buses. Additionally, various tourist tours will be offered along the Danube, Fruška Gora, visits to the monasteries of Fruška Gora, wine cellars, Vojvodina farmhouses, and the possibility of organizing a visit to the capital, Belgrade, as fast train "Soko" wagons will be rented.

Novi Sad was the Youth Capital in 2019 and the Culture Capital in 2022. It is a candidate for the Green Capital of Europe. It has a population of around 400,000 people. It boasts a beautiful sandy beach, considered by many to be the most beautiful on the Danube in all of Europe, stretching over 5 kilometers on both sides, Novi Sad and Petrovaradin. Petrovaradin Fortress was built in the period from 1692 to 1780. It covers the area of 112 ha. In the foothill of the Fortress there is the Roman Catholic church of St. George with a convent, which was built in the baroque style in the period from 1701 to 1714. One of the largest and best-preserved fortresses with the largest informal colony of artists and with one of only five tapestry ateliers in Europe. With a lot of restaurants, it can be a good choice for a night out during the weekend.

Registrations for the tournament will be possible a few days before the ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024 in July. There will be several price ranges, with the lowest prices for early registrations. The number of participants is limited to about 3,500 competitors, and the interest is huge, especially from Balkan countries, but also traditionally from Germany, where the largest number of veterans are.

Novi Sad has a rich history of hosting significant table tennis events including the European Championships in 1974, the European Youth Championships in 1988 and 2003, and the World Championships in 1981.

Novi Sad also hosted the 2021 Europe Cup women complete season during COVID.