2024 World Table Tennis Day in Leipzig, Germany!

On 23 April, TAFISA's Senior Manager, Game Mothibi, attended the World Table Tennis Day celebration in Leipzig, Germany. The event took place at the Promenaden Leipzig Central Station and focused on the theme of Diversity and Inclusion. Alongside the celebration, the #TTBelongsToYou Tournament was organised. The event featured engaging sessions exploring the unifying potential of sports and addressing challenges and barriers to diversity in table tennis through roundtable discussions aimed at promoting inclusive strategies and solutions.

Ensuring that table tennis facilities and resources are accessible to all individuals, regardless of their background or circumstances, is a key pillar of inclusivity. However, in many parts of the world, accessibility remains a challenge due to infrastructural limitations, competing socio-economic activities, financial constraints, coaching, and equipment. Addressing these resource disparities is essential to contributing to a more inclusive table tennis community. Promoting diversity and inclusivity in table tennis can enhance the sport and encourage a sense of unity among players. Outreach programs, inclusive training sessions, and community engagement initiatives can be implemented to bridge gaps and create a more inclusive environment for all participants.

Social inclusion involves breaking down barriers related to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and other factors to ensure that all individuals have equal access to and participation in sports activities.

BACKGROUND

World Table Tennis Day (WTTD) has been celebrated annually in April since 2015. It is the day set aside to celebrate table tennis, as well as the universality and social inclusiveness the sport represents. World Table Tennis Day is celebrated, honouring Ivor Montagu, organiser of the first World Table Tennis Championships in 1926 and the founder and first president of the ITTF. WTTD celebrates the joy of playing table tennis for fun, bringing people together, focusing less on competition and more on participation and enjoyment.