The Cyprus Table Tennis Association in collaboration with the ETTU National Association Assistance program recently hosted a highly successful training camp in Cyprus. Under coach Marc CLOSSET’s (BEL) guidance young table tennis players gathered in the mountains of Agros from June 21st to 27th for an immersive experience. The training camp aimed to empower and develop young athletes. The event brought together 37 boys and 5 girls representing diverse skill levels. Throughout the camp participants were exposed to a comprehensive training regimen encompassing various activities and game aspects: multi-ball training service practice technique footwork exercises and physical conditioning. The success of the training camp can be attributed to the strong collaboration and coordination among the coaching staff. The Cyprus Association worked closely with the renowned National Coach Adrian SIMION and coaches Penelope SAVVA and Popi DROUSIOTI to ensure a well-rounded and enriching experience for the participants. The culmination of the camp was marked by the visible progress and happiness of the young athletes. Witnessing their development and witnessing the smiles on their faces after their week of hard work brought a sense of fulfilment to Marc CLOSSET. He expressed his satisfaction stating “After the last training when I saw the look of all these young people happy to have evolved/progressed… during the week… I was also happy.” The Cyprus Table Tennis Federation under the leadership of President Mr. GEORGIOU played a crucial role in organizing and supporting the training camp. Mr. GEORGIOU’s dedication to the development and promotion of table tennis in Cyprus and beyond has been instrumental in ensuring the success of the sport. About ETTU National Association Assistance Program The ETTU National Association Assistance program collaborates with national associations to support the growth and development of table tennis in various countries. Through training camps coaching expertise and international collaboration the program aims to empower young players and elevate the standard of table tennis in Europe.
Borussia Düsseldorf Wins the Liebherr TTBL Final
Borussia Düsseldorf clinched their 33rd German club championship in front of their home crowd. The record champions secured a 3-1 victory in the Liebherr TTBL Final against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT at Castello in Düsseldorf captivating an audience of 2 700 enthusiastic spectators. In the Champions League final Düsseldorf and Saarbrücken had crossed paths before with a narrow victory for Saarbrücken in the spring after the home and away matches as well as the Golden Match securing their first TTCLM (Table Tennis Champions League Men) triumph in club history. Patrick FRANZISKA played a key role back then and he once again took center stage in the Liebherr TTBL Final although this time as the narrowly defeated player. In a match that had spectators on the edge of their seats Franziska initially led 2-0 against Anton KÄLLBERG and later in the deciding set with scores of 8-3 and 10-8. Saarbrücken had their sights set on victory. However KÄLLBERG managed to secure a 3-2 victory (7-11 7-11 11-9 11-6 12-10) putting Borussia on the path to victory. Following KÄLLBERG’S opening victory Dang Qiu followed up with a 3-1 win (11-8 11-1 10-12 11-1) against Darko JORGIC giving the Düsseldorf fans hope for a perfect afternoon. In the third match Timo BOLL made his comeback after nearly a five-month forced break due to a shoulder injury but he couldn’t secure the crucial victory for the title. The German table tennis legend suffered a 1-3 defeat (6-11 11-8 9-11 9-11) against Takuya JIN. “It’s a team sport and in the end we won ” summarized BOLL celebrating his 13th German team championship. “I’m very proud of the team. Anton and Dang put on a great performance. Overall I’m satisfied with our team effort and also with my body for enduring the strain.” With the score at 1-2 Saarbrücken briefly harbored hopes of winning their second German championship after their triumph in 2020. However KÄLLBERG carried the confidence from his opening victory into the top singles match against JORGIC sealing the title fight with a 3-0 win (11-8 12-10 11-9). “We had a very good season ” said Borussia coach Danny Heister reflecting on the championship and the team’s finals appearances in the Champions League and German Table Tennis Cup. “We set up the team exactly as we wanted. I am very happy about the title although it all still needs to sink in.” Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 3:1 Anton KÄLLBERG – Patrick FRANZISKA 3:2 (7:11 7:11 11:9 11:6 12:10) Dang QIU – Darko JORGIC 3:1 (11:8 11:1 10:12 11:1) Timo BOLL – Takuya JIN 1:3 (6:11 11:8 9:11 9:11) Anton KÄLLBERG – Darko JORGIC 3:0 (11:8 12:10 11:9)
HAN Ying and Darko JORGIC topping the July Rankings
At the top of the European Rankings in July are HAN Ying of Germany and Darko JORGIC of Slovenia. Besides the seniors’ category you can also find the complete rankings for the remaining 12 categories here. The events included in the July Rankings are the European Games (including the Singles and Teams events) Europe Under 13 Championships (also featuring the Singles and Teams events) European Teams Qualifications in Osijek (which was missing in the June rankings) North Europe Under 15 Singles and Teams Events and the WR Extraction from July 4th 2023. JORGIC replaced QIU Dang of Germany at the top position with QIU dropping to the second position. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany remained at position number three. Silver medalist from Krakow Marcos FREITAS of Portugal moved up eight positions to reach the fourth position. Truls MOREGARDH of Sweden is fifth followed by the LEBRUN brothers. The winner of the European Games Singles Event Felix is ranked sixth while the bronze medalist Alexis is seventh. Swede Kristian KARLSSON dropped to the eighth position and Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany is now ninth. Andrej GACINA of Croatia holds the tenth position. Han YING remains the number one in the Women’s Singles Rankings just like in June. Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria retained her second position while the winner of the European Games Singles Event Bernadette SZOCS of Romania is now ranked third. Nina MITTELHAM of Germany is fourth; YUAN Yia Nan of France is in the fifth position followed by Romania’s Elizabeta SAMARA in sixth. YANG Xiaoxin of Monaco climbed 13 places to secure the seventh spot. SHAO Jieni and YU Fu of Portugal are ranked eighth and ninth respectively while Natalia BAJOR of Poland moved up 13 positions to reach the top 10. In the Under 21 rankings Truls MOREGARD Felix and Alexis LEBRUN occupy the top three positions. In the Women’s Rankings Prithiuka PAVADE of France Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia and Camille LUTZ of France remain in the top three positions.
Virtual table Tennis Webinar on Monday 24th July
ETTU is pleased to extend an invitation to attend an informative webinar on Virtual Table Tennis . The webinar organized by ETTU in partnership with FFTT aims to explore various aspects of virtual table tennis including its practice potential for growth and strategies to engage players and enthusiasts. Additionally comprehensive information about the European Virtual Table Tennis Challenge will be provided offering an exciting opportunity for both players and fans. The webinar will also include a Q&A session. Please take note of the key details: Date: Monday 24th July 2023 Time: 16:00 CET To participate in the webinar kindly register by sending an email to ana.ivosevic@ettu.org within Thursday 20th July . In your email please include your name and your Member Association. Once your registration is processed a confirmation email containing the link to join the webinar will be sent to you. We strongly encourage all ETTU Member Associations to attend this insightful webinar as we collectively explore the potential of table tennis in the virtual realm. Let us embrace this digital transformation together.
Happy birthday NI Xia Lian
NI Xia Lian a three-time European Champion in Singles two-time World Champion in Team’s and mixed doubles is celebrating her 60th birthday today. Despite reaching this milestone age she remains active and fiercely competitive. Just a few days before her birthday NI competed in the Singles and Team’s events at the European Games. Four years earlier at the same competition NI won bronze and qualified for Olympics. NI initially achieved team and mixed doubles gold medals for China in the 1983 World Championships before moving to Germany in 1989. Two years later she settled in Luxembourg. Furthermore NI was a member of the Luxembourg Olympic team in Beijing 2008 London 2012 and Rio 2016. During the closing ceremony in Brazil Ni had the honor of being the flag bearer for Luxembourg. Four years later at the age of 58 NI qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics becoming the oldest table tennis player to participate in the Games. In 2021 at 58 years old NI achieved another milestone by winning the bronze medal in women’s doubles at the 2021 World Championships partnering with Sarah de NUTTE. In 2016 Xialian received a Badge of Honour for her outstanding contribution to the work of the European Table Tennis Union. 1983 World Champion in team and mixed doubles 1998 European Championships winner in singles 2002 European Championships winner in singles and mixed doubles Europe Top 12 winner in 1996 1997 and 1998 Europe Cup of Champions winner in 2002 Champions League winner in 2008 and 2010 2000 European Championships silver medal in doubles alongside Peggy REGENWETTER 2018 European Championships bronze medal in doubles alongside Sarah de NUTTE 2021 World Championships bronze medal in doubles again alongside Sarah de NUTTE
GAP WOMEN PROJECT – last day to register
The “GapWomen: Filling the gender gap in sports” Online Workshop will be held on Friday 7th on July at 14 CET. The conference aims to promote gender equality in sports by bringing together sports experts and passionate individuals committed to driving positive change. The speakers will be structured around two themes: o Women’s access to decision-making senior positions in major sports organizations. o Women’s access to coaching and refereeing positions. The conference will feature six testimonies from accomplished individuals who have successfully navigated challenges and overcome barriers. Following these testimonies you will have the opportunity to participate in the Impact Workshop. Last day to register to attend the online workshop is today. https://www.eventbrite.de/e/gapwomen-filling-the-gender-gap-in-sports-online-workshop-tickets-663540446337 GAP WOMEN PROJECT is a European program co-funded by the European Commission with the aim of eliminating the gender gap in federated sports and promoting inclusive and sustainable sports.
Germany topping the medal standings at the European Games
The nine days of fierce battles and fantastic matches which kept us on the edge of our seats have come to an end. The table tennis tournament concluded with Germany’s Men’s team emerging as the winners making Germany the leading nation in the medal standings across the men’s and women’s team events as well as singles and mixed doubles events. Romania also secured two gold medals with the most successful player being Bernadette SZOCS who won gold in both singles and teams as well as a bronze in mixed doubles. Men’s Teams event Gold Germany Silver Sweden Bronze France Women’s Teams event Gold Romania Silver Germany Bronze Portugal Men’s Singles event Gold Felix LEBRUN of France Silver Marcos FREITAS of Portugal. Bronze Alexis LEBRUN of France Women’s Singles event Gold Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Silver YANG Xiaoxin of Monaco Bronze Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Mixed Doubles Event Gold QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany Silver Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary Bronze Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania. European Games Table Tennis 2023 Medals table Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Germany 2 1 3 2 Romania 2 2 4 3 France 1 2 3 4 Portugal 1 1 2 5 Monaco 1 1 5 Hungary 1 1 5 Sweden 1 1
The European Veterans Championships concluded in amazing atmosfere
Sandefjord Convention Center expressed itself from the very best way during the finals of the European Veterans Championships Saturday July 1st. A show court with an amazing table tennis athmosphere paid the best European veteran players their respect for making it to the finals. The crowds were loud they cheered and the players fought with all they had to win. The finals this beautiful Saturday in Sandefjord Norway was a perfect close of a week that has given all of us so many memories. People from 39 nations gathered played table tennis made friends and had fun. In the end the very best players showed their skills at the final stables. The level at veterans table tennis is higher than ever. The best players train as much as the professionals and are as dedicated.
Title for Germany in the Men’s Teams event
Germany defended their title at the 2023 European Games Krakow. In the final they prevailed against Sweden. Bronze medalists are France. Sweden (2) – Germany (1) 1-3 Truls MOREGARDH Kristian KARLSSON – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Patrick FRANZISKA 3-2 (3-11 11-9 15-13 11-8) Anton KALLBERG – QIU Dang 0-3 (5-11 9-11 9-11) Kristian KARLSSON – Patrick FRANZISKA 2-3 (11-6 5-11 13-11 8-11 9-11) Anton KALLBERG – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 0-3 (7-11 8-11 8-11) After all the drama of the Women’s final the Men’s final commenced as a comparatively quiet affair with OVTCHAROV and FRANZISKA dominating the start in the doubles. However it did not take long before KARLSSON and MOREGARDH gained a grip on the match. In a tense five-game battle Sweden secured the first point in the match. QIU Dang faced Anton KALLBERG to assert his position as a leader of the German team. After a straight games duel he leveled the score. The clash between KARLSSON and FRANZISKA initially favored Kristian but the momentum shifted back and forth. In the end the match was resolved in a decisive game in favor of the German player. In a powerful display OVTCHAROV sealed the match. National coach Jörg ROSSKOPF commented “The doubles were very close. All the matches were at a very high level with great rallies. Franz’s match against Kristian was particularly important and Dang also played with great focus after the doubles. Dima certainly played his best match here in Krakow against Anton. It was a great final and it demonstrates that we are still the number one team in Europe.” Dang QIU remarked “It was the tough match we expected against Sweden. I believe Franz’s win was incredibly important and it was highly competitive. Sweden deserved to win as well. However in the end Dima did what he does best which is to close the game! We are very happy that we won. We are the number one team in Europe and we wanted to maintain our position!” Patrick FRANZISKA added “After the doubles where we played well but still made a few mistakes Dang’s win was crucial to get us back on track. Of course my own match was important as losing it would have put us 1-2 behind. Personally it’s always challenging for me to play against Kristian so I’m extremely happy to have won the match so closely in the end.” Dimitrij OVTCHAROV reflected “There is often talk about emerging nations in Europe and everyone was waiting for Germany to lose. But in the end it was also a statement that earns us respect once again. We went through the tournament with confidence and although we lost the doubles today our singles performances were really strong showcasing our overall strength as a team.” Sweden and Germany previously faced each other in the Teams event final in Minsk back in 2019 with Kristian KARLSSON being the only player on duty from today’s team. On the other side were Timo BOLL Patrick FRANZISKA and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. KALLBERG expressed “We commenced the final with a win in doubles which was a huge victory. Unfortunately the match didn’t go our way. We couldn’t replicate the fantastic achievement like the win against France yesterday – Germany has an incredibly strong side. Individually I had a poor day today losing 0-3 twice. I couldn’t keep up with QIU’s and OVTCHAROV’s level of play. It’s not a good day for me. It’s a pity that Kristian KARLSSON couldn’t win the close match against Patrick FRANZISKA.” Truls MOREGARDH expressed his disappointment but promised “As a team we want to forget about this final as soon as possible. Germany is always a strong team and now they are stronger than us unfortunately. We will look forward to beating them in Malmo at the European Championships.” Bronze medal match France (3) – Portugal (4) 3-2 Simon GAUZY Aleis LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA 0-3 (10-12 10-12 3-11) Felix LEBRUN – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-6 11-6 13-11) Alexis LEBRUN – Tiago APOLONIA 1-3 (8-11 11-4 9-11 11-13) Felix LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS 3-1 (11-8 9-11 13-11 11-7) Simon GAUZY – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-6) It took five games before France claimed the bronze medal in a clash against Portugal. Portugal had a better start with the doubles but Felix LEBRUN proved too strong for Joao GERALDO and Marcos FREITAS. Eventually Simon GAUZY sealed the duel with a win over GERALDO. “The match was filled with tension and playing a duel that starts at 11 am is never easy. I sealed the match with a victory in the decisive encounter and that means the match could have gone either way. Everything was open and we could have left Krakow without a medal but we have an amazing player in our team who helped us come back after losing the doubles and win both matches today. Felix was the key to our victory ” stated GAUZY. GAUZY have a positive record against Geraldo. “I have beaten him three or four times but it created extra pressure for me today. I did not want to lose against Joao for the first time in a match for a medal. I played really well and he struggled with my service and receive ” said GAUZY. Felix concluded the European Games undefeated. As a gold medalist in singles he pushed France to the medal rostrum in the team event as well. “It is unbelievable for me that I won each and every match here ” said younger brother LEBRUN. “In both matches today against left-handers GERALDO and FREITAS my service game was the most important factor for success. I played well on the first ball and I was aggressive. Winning the third game against Marcos which I won 13-11 gave me extra confidence to win the match.” Alexis LEBRUN lost his match against Tiago Apolonia. “I wasn’t at the top of my game but Simon played very well and Felix played amazingly so that’s what matters in the end. We
Gold for Romania after nail-biting final against Germany
Germany’s national coach Tamara BIOROS explained that the team failed to capitalize on all the opportunities they had in the two opening matches. “In the doubles we had a 7-4 lead in the last game but our opponents fought for every point. We gave it our all but it wasn’t enough today. Romania had a fantastic tournament. We need to take some time to recover and then focus on the European Championships. We have to perform better there to secure our spot in the Olympic Games.” HAN Yin expressed “I have been facing SZOCS quite often recently. Today she was always in the lead and had the belief to win. I had to stay ahead and play aggressively but in the end I lacked a bit of power. She played well and I didn’t have a good feeling about facing her throughout the week in Krakow.” Match for bronze Portugal (4) – France (3) 3-0 Matilde PINTO YU Fu – Camille LUTZ Prithika PAVADE 3-1 (11-4 9-11 11-7 11-4) SHAO Jieni – YUAN Jia Nan 3-2 (6-11 8-11 11-7 11-7 11-7) YU Fu – Prithika PAVADE 3-1 (11-8 7-11 11-7 11-9) YU Fu and Matilde PINTO paved the path to success for Portugal in their match against France. Camille LUTZ and Prithika PAVADE had a few opportunities but failed to put significant pressure on Portugal’s pairings. “They were very strong but I believe we approached the match with a much calmer mindset. It proved crucial during the decisive moments when we made fewer mistakes compared to our opponents ” said Matilde PINTO. Following their victory in the doubles SHAO Jieni made an impressive comeback from being down 0-2 to win the match against YUAN Jia Nan which opened the doors wide for the team’s triumph. “We have faced each other numerous times and every match has been closely contested. It could have gone either way ” said SHAO. YU Fu had previously defeated Prithika PAVADE in the Round of 16 in the singles event here in Krakow. “It provided me with a better starting position in the team’s event. Additionally since we had already secured a win in the doubles and SHAO secured the second point in singles it allowed me to play with less stress ” explained YU. Romania clinched gold in the Women’s Teams Event at the 2023 Eurooean Games in Krakow. Afer more than 3 hours of play they overcome defending champions Germany in thrillig five matches clash. Portugal won bronze medal after the duel against France. Germany (1) – Romania (2) 2-3 Nina MITTELHAM SHAN Xiaona – Adina DIACONU Andreea DRAGOMAN 2-3 (11-8 17-19 7-11 11-8 5-11) HAN Ying – Bernadette SZOCS 2-3 (11-4 12-10 8-11 9-11 8-11) SHAN Xiaona – Andreea DRAGOMAN (9-11 11-6 11-6 8-11 15-13) HAN Ying – Adina DIACONU 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-9) Nina MITTELHAM – Bernadette SZOCS 0-3 (9-11 9-11 4-11) Four years ago HAN Yang SHAN Xiaona and Nina MITTELHAM defeated Elizabeta SAMARA Daniela DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania in the final claiming the title. In the 2023 Krakow tournament Germany retained the same team but Romania had a different lineup. Unfortunately they were without Elizabeta SAMARA who had won a bronze medal in singles but suffered an injury worsened by her clash with HAN few days earlier. DODEAN also stopped playing for the team allowing Adina DIACONU and Andreea DRAGOMAN to step in for the 2023 final. After a close game and a victory for DIACONU and DRAGOMAN in the doubles Bernadette SZOCS showed great patience to overcome HAN Ying’s fantastic defensive skills. In the first two games HAN Ying once again demonstrated her equaly lethal attacking skills against SZOCS. However the singles gold medalist from Krakow Bernadette raised her game in the second set and began an impressive comeback. She recovered from being down 0-2 to win the match in superb style. DRAGOMAN made her first appearance in the singles event at the tournament and had two match points that could have secured Romania’s place at the top of the medal podium. However SHAN narrowly survived and won the fourth match by the slimmest of margins. The decisive match was one way street for SZOCS. MITTELHAM could not find the game for Bernadette. “I feel like the queen of the tournament. It is the first time I have won three medals and haven’t lost a match in singles. I had dreamed of a tournament like this and it’s amazing to see my dreams come true ” said SZOCS before adding “I was trailing 2-0 against HAN Ying but I never stopped believing that I could win. I had never defeated this player before and had sometimes lost quite easily.” Reflecting on her gold medal in singles just three days prior Bernadette continued “Both gold medals are important to me. I love playing for the team being there for my colleagues and representing my country. I think I might cherish the individual medal a little bit more since it is my first singles medal. I am incredibly proud of my team. I asked my teammates to win one match and I knew I had to win both of my singles matches and that’s exactly what happened.” Andreea DRAGOMAN made her debut in Krakow 2023 in a very last match. “We learned yesterday that Elizabeta SAMARA was injured. I was prepared to play from the first day but naturally I was nervous. I had two match points but SHAN Xiaona being more experienced proved decisive in my 2-3 loss ” said DRAGOMAN.
