This Sunday marks the next crucial milestone in the ITTF Hopes Programme’s carefully constructed pathway as the Africa Hopes Week & Challenge commences in Lagos, Nigeria. The continental event represents the second step in the journey toward October’s pinnacle gathering at the 2025 ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge in Sheffield.
Europe set the standard last month with their Continental Hopes Week in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, where the continent’s most promising U12 players experienced an intensive week of high-performance training and international competition. The Portuguese gathering perfectly exemplified the programme’s core philosophy, combining high-level coaching with authentic international experience and lasting friendships between young athletes.
Now it’s Africa’s turn to showcase its exceptional talent pool. The Lagos gathering will follow the same intensive format that proved so successful in Portugal, featuring:
- High-level training sessions with experienced international coaches
- Professional performance environments designed for player development
- Authentic international competition experience
- Cultural exchange and lasting friendships between young athletes
The Africa Hopes Week continues the rigorous selection process that defines the ITTF Hopes Programme. From the hundreds of players who participated in National Hopes activities across African member associations, only the most exceptional performers have advanced to this continental stage.
The Ultimate Prize: Sheffield
From Lagos, only the most promising talents will earn the coveted opportunity to represent Africa at the World Hopes Week & Challenge. With just 40 places available globally – 20 girls and 20 boys – the competition remains fierce as continents vie for representation at Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport from 13-19 October.
The venue selection holds special significance as it creates a direct pathway to the ITTF’s centenary celebrations, with the World Championships Finals returning to London in 2026 – exactly 100 years after the city first hosted the World Championships alongside the ITTF’s founding.
The programme’s remarkable track record speaks for itself, with alumni including Olympic silver medallist Truls Moregard, world No.17 Adriana Diaz, and history-making champions like Egypt’s Hana Goda, who made history as the youngest Africa Cup champion at just 14 years and 7 months in 2022.
Reflecting on her Hopes experience, Hana Goda shared: “If it hadn’t been for Hopes, I think my table tennis journey would have been completely different. It wasn’t just about the technical skills – though I learned so much there – it was the connections that made it special. Hopes didn’t just shape me as a player; it became part of my table tennis identity.”
The Journey Continues
Following Africa’s gathering in Lagos, attention moves to Asia for their Continental Hopes Week & Challenge in Vientiane, Laos (30 July – 4 August), before the continental pathway continues with Oceania’s event in Noumea, New Caledonia, and culminates with the Americas Continental Hopes Week & Challenge in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
As ITTF President Petra Sörling emphasised: “By strengthening foundations at the grassroots level through the Hopes Programme, we’re building the future of table tennis one player at a time.”
With Africa set to take centre stage this Sunday, the anticipation builds toward October’s gathering in Sheffield. The young athletes competing in Lagos may well become the champions who define table tennis’s next century as the sport approaches its historic centenary milestone.