The ITTF Americas Hopes Week & Challenge, which ran from 27 August to 1 September, marked the culmination of Continental Hopes programmes that have spanned five continents throughout 2025. With this completion in Guatemala, attention now turns to Sheffield, where participants from the continental activities will converge for the ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge in October.Guatemala’s Warm Welcome
The Central American nation embraced its role as host with characteristic enthusiasm, providing what organisers and participants described as exceptional conditions for the week-long programme. Jorge Chacón, President of the Guatemalan Table Tennis Federation, expressed his pride in welcoming the continent’s most promising young players.
“It is a true honour for Guatemala to host the ITTF Americas Hopes Week & Challenge,” Chacón said. “As president and a lifelong advocate for table tennis, I am genuinely thrilled to welcome the best young athletes from across the continent. In the Land of Eternal Spring, we welcome you with open arms.”
The Guatemalan Federation’s preparation and organisation received widespread praise from participants and coaching staff, with the event benefiting from strong support at both federation and governmental levels.
The programme featured international coaches providing participants with access to world-class coaching expertise. The coaching structure created collaborative learning environments where expertise flowed between international coaches and national team mentors, providing comprehensive development opportunities for all participants. Participants from across the Americas embraced the intensive training programme, with many highlighting the cultural exchange and learning opportunities as equally valuable as the technical instruction.
ITTF Coach Carlos Esnard praised the overall programme quality: “It has been an incredible experience, with players of great quality, excellent collaboration among the coaches, and an ITTF expert who worked with us in a spectacular way. In my opinion, this is one of the best camps we have had.”
Ecuador’s Thayra Buitrón captured the programme’s spirit: “I had so much fun at this Hopes. I really enjoyed being with my teammates, meeting new people, and learning a lot.”
The diverse continental representation created rich learning environments where different playing styles and cultural approaches to table tennis merged. Mexico’s Andrea Campos noted: “This week at the Hopes has been very fun. I have learned many things and gained a lot from this experience.”
For many participants, the programme provided their first exposure to international-level training conditions and coaching methods, with Honduras’s Jesús Tejada commenting: “The experience has been very good, with a lot of high-level play. I have trained well, and I think I have performed well too.”
Coach Expert Mamata Prabhu emphasised the multicultural learning environment: “This is a wonderful opportunity to be here, to see so many different cultures, to have different practice partners, to train with players from various nationalities, and finally to enjoy a lot of excitement and fun. I think it is a dream come true.”
Paraguay’s Coach Cielo Mutti observed the high standard of participants: “This has been an incredible experience, being able to see so many children from different countries with such a high level. I can see they are really making the most of the camp, and that makes me very happy.”
The programme created opportunities for coaching staff to share methodologies and approaches, contributing to broader development knowledge across the Americas region.
United States participant Jacob Kordus appreciated the training quality: “It’s a really nice camp, and I like playing against many high-level players.” This sentiment reflected the programme’s success in creating challenging training environments that pushed participants beyond their typical national-level experiences.
Colombia’s Jerónimo Jiménez highlighted the comprehensive development approach: “My experience at this Hopes Americas has been very rewarding. Meeting teammates from other countries allowed me to learn more, and the coaches supported me a lot in improving my table tennis techniques.”
The programme structure prioritised skill development and technical improvement, ensuring participants returned to their home countries with enhanced capabilities and broader understanding of international table tennis standards.
With Guatemala’s activity concluded, the Continental Hopes cycle for 2025 is now complete. Young talents identified through programmes in Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas will next converge in Sheffield for the World Hopes Week & Challenge, creating a truly global gathering of emerging talent.
Guatemala’s role as the final continental host has provided a fitting conclusion to a year of talent identification activities that have spanned continents and cultures, united by the common goal of nurturing the next generation of table tennis excellence.