The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is ready and excited to celebrate this year’s World Table Tennis Day on Sunday 23 April, bringing the world’s table tennis community together under the motto “Think sustainably, act now”. World Table Tennis Day is an annual celebration of the sport and its values, encouraging people from all corners of the world to come together and participate in table tennis while celebrating the sport’s diversity and inclusivity. Since its inception in 2015, the focus of World Table Tennis Day has also been on promoting important values. The ITTF Foundation decided this year’s official theme will be sustainability, using World Table Tennis Day as a vehicle to highlight the need to address environmental issues and promote sustainable practices.
To mark the occasion, member associations, organisations, clubs, and table tennis enthusiasts from around the world are set to organise events, tournaments, exhibitions, challenges and open-door sessions, inspiring everyone to engage with the sport. With over 400 registered celebrations across more than 100 countries and territories, this day will exemplify the power of table tennis in uniting people.
“We are thrilled to see so many people and organisations around the world pledge their support for World Table Tennis Day and planning celebrations on 23 April. It is a day that captures the joy of playing table tennis for fun, bringing people together, focusing less on competition and more on participation and enjoyment while showing how table tennis is a force for good in the world. This is a testament to the power of our sport to unite people and promote positive change. This year’s theme for World Table Tennis Day will build on the ITTF’s ongoing efforts to further commit to making sustainability a key part of all aspects of the sport, encouraging table tennis players and fans around the world to adopt sustainable practices both on and off the table.” — Petra Sörling, ITTF President
The ITTF Foundation is also partnering with all five Continental Federations to organise events that focus on sustainability for people, the planet, and prosperity through the sport.
- African Table Tennis Federation – Table Tennis for All event, in Egypt
- Asian Table Tennis Union – Event on Social Integration and Energy Conservation, in Qatar
- European Table Tennis Union – “Spin Towards Sustainability” at the U-21 European Championships, in Bosnia
- ITTF-Oceania – “Smash Down Barriers” to reduce social inequality, in Tonga
- ITTF-Americas – “Table Tennis for Sustainable Health and Environment”, in Argentina
Leandro Olvech, ITTF Foundation Director, added, “Through the far-reaching power of table tennis globally, we can promote and contribute to important social causes. This year’s focus on sustainability also reminds us that we all have a role to play, in terms of environmental factors, and also in ensuring the legacy of the sport and harnessing the power of our people to create a healthy, equitable, and prosperous society.”
As part of the celebration, an entertaining 24-hour livestream programme featuring exciting table tennis matches, exclusive interview sessions with star players, workout challenges, panel discussions and highlights from events around the world will be available and viewers can already register and see the full programme here. One of the events celebrating World Table Tennis Day is jointly organised by the ITTF Group and the Sports Bureau of Macao, where a table will be set up outside the iconic Ruins of St Paul’s in Macao, China. The event will also feature Macao’s youth team, Para Table Tennis players, and Special Olympics players highlighting inclusivity is a key aspect of sustainability as it ensures all people, regardless of their backgrounds, have equal access to opportunities. In presence of ITTF President Petra Sörling, ITTF Deputy President Liu Guoliang, ITTF Group CEO Steve Dainton as well as star table tennis players, it is expected to attract a large crowd in celebration of this historic day and promises to be a truly special experience for fans in Macao before they witness the conclusion of the WTT Champions Macao 2023, with the Men’s and Women’s Singles finals scheduled from 18:00 local time.
This is the first time World Table Tennis Day will be celebrated on the 23 April. This new date is significant in the long history of the federation as it is the birthdate of Ivor Montagu, organiser of the first World Table Tennis Championships in 1926 and the founder and first president of the ITTF. This change comes at a time when the ITTF is preparing for its centenary. The ITTF is immensely proud of its history, looking for ways to showcase it more while it continues its mission to grow the game worldwide. The ITTF looks forward to diverse communities from all over the world coming together to play table tennis and spread the message of unity and togetherness, while promoting sustainability and inclusivity. For more information and the full list of activation events around the world, please visit the ITTF Foundation website here. For photos of the events, please visit ITTF’s Flickr account.