The ITTF Summit 2025 began today with the Development Session that highlighted the remarkable growth of table tennis worldwide. As delegates gathered in Doha alongside the World Championships Finals, the session demonstrated how the sport continues to flourish from grassroots level to elite competition.
ITTF President Petra Sörling opened the summit with a powerful message about the central role of development in table tennis’s future.
“Development is our future,” President Sörling emphasised in her welcome address. “This is where we shape the future together. No continent, region, member association, or club should be left without getting the resources to become the best table tennis player possible. We are in a much better momentum today than we were in 2022 – we can meet, and we are also more financially stable. It’s time to redistribute, to invest in the future, in our development, in our talents, in our future stars.”
Khalil Al-Mohannadi, ITTF Senior Executive Vice President and Qatar Table Tennis Association President, invited delegates to collaborate with QTTA, expressing their willingness to share resources and support Member Associations in their development efforts.
With such solid foundations established, attention turned to the exciting achievements. The session revealed extraordinary statistics that truly showcase the sport’s expanding reach. ITTF Sports Development Director Mikael Andersson presented figures showing that participation in ITTF development activities has more than doubled in just three years, with over 13,000 participants now engaged in approximately 300 activities worldwide.
The scale of investment became clear when it was revealed that the ITTF invested $3 million in table tennis development worldwide in 2024 alone – a testament to the federation’s commitment to nurturing talent at every level. ITTF Head of Development Programmes Yelena Druzhkova, highlighted further successes, including 92 Participation Programme national activities and an impressive 42% female participation across programmes. Perhaps most significantly, a record-breaking 34 Member Associations have progressed through the categorisation system, demonstrating that this investment is creating tangible results across the global table tennis family.
The outlook for 2025 includes equipment distribution initiatives through strategic partnerships with Butterfly, DHS, and Tibhar, with 39 packages already being prepared for Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. Of particular significance is the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, which represents a unique opportunity to showcase table tennis in Africa.
To maximise this potential, the ITTF is increasing its development investment to Africa by 30% for 2025-2026, ensuring the continent can fully participate in what promises to be a landmark event for the sport.
The session’s educational component brought together leading voices from around the world to share their coaching development expertise. Following updates on coach certification and licensing from Mikael Andersson, delegates heard from three diverse regions that have developed innovative approaches to coach education.
Richard Prause, from the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) presented the comprehensive German coaching structure, which has become a model for systematic development. Their five-level system has successfully produced over 10,000 licensed coaches, ranging from STARTTER certification through to the elite Diplomtrainer level – proof that structured pathways can deliver impressive results.
The Brazilian Table Tennis Confederation delegation of Vilmar Schindler (CBTM President), Alaor Azevedo (ITTF Executive Vice President), and Taisa Belli (Acting Chair of the ITTF Sport Science & Medical Committee) shared their groundbreaking Table Tennis University programme. Since January 2021, this innovative system has engaged 2,526 participants across 18 courses, emphasising learner-centred education and long-term athlete development – showing how technology and progressive thinking can revolutionise coach education.
The global perspective was completed by Scott Houston, ITTF-Oceania CEO, who presented the region’s relaunched development programme for 2025. Drawing on his extensive experience as former ITTF Council Member (2021-2024) and Table Tennis Australia CEO (2017-2023), Houston outlined how Oceania addresses the unique challenge of developing table tennis across 24 Member Associations spanning vast geographical distances – proving that innovation can overcome even the most daunting logistical challenges.
The session culminated in a dynamic panel discussion on coach education, bringing together Scott Houston, Taisa Belli, Yelena Druzhkova, Richard Prause, and Mikael Andersson. This exchange of ideas explored future directions for coach certification and shared insights from different continental approaches, demonstrating the collaborative spirit that drives the sport’s development.
The interactive nature of the Summit was evident as delegates actively engaged with questions about developing their Member Associations, openly sharing their challenges and identifying gaps in their current programmes. This honest dialogue created valuable learning opportunities, with presenters offering practical solutions and encouraging associations to leverage available ITTF resources.
Tomorrow the Summit continues with the Finance Forum, where delegates will explore the financial strategies and investments that support the sport’s continued growth and development worldwide.