by Dora Jeler, ITTF High Performance and Development Operations Manager

Carlo Agnello is the Head Coach at the Flemish Table Tennis Centre in Leuven. After attending the Rough Diamonds Training Camp in Otocec, Slovenia in October 2017, where Joze Urh presented the “Passive Game”, Carlo will focus on this topic when meeting his mentor in China.

Liu Ruizhi is based at the China Table Tennis College in Shanghai, where she currently works with the Chinese Women’s Team as the scientific group leader.

Cristhian Carrasco, currently the coach of the National Paralympic team of Chile, as well as a club and university coach, is also the first coach for Para Table Tennis athletes joining the Mentorship Programme.

Alongside, his mentor, Gorazd Vecko, the British Para Performance Director, he will work on training plans and evaluation methods during a visit to Sheffield, as well as at two Para Table Tennis tournaments in Slovakia and Slovenia. He will be able to meet with specialists in the fields of medicine, physiotherapy, lifestyle, diet and coaching to give input on his topics.

Fatemeh Keyvani is the Head Coach of the Iran National Women’s Team and has been a top-level coach in Iran for many years, while also receiving a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Teheran; her topics of interest centre around table tennis specific exercises and drills.

She will be visiting Eva Jeler, German National Coach, in November to work with her during a National Cadet Team Training Camp.

Good luck to all the mentors and mentees!