Held at the English Institute of Sport from 13-19 October, the week brought together 40 of the world’s most promising U12 talents – 20 boys and 20 girls – representing the culmination of Continental Hopes programmes in Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, and Oceania throughout 2025.
The Sheffield gathering represented the final stage of an extensive talent identification process that began at national level before progressing through Continental Hopes programmes. From Europe’s gathering in Portugal to Africa’s week in Lagos, Asia’s programme in Vientiane, the Americas activities in Guatemala, and Oceania’s gathering in New Caledonia, each continental programme identified promising talents who would ultimately converge in Sheffield.
This carefully structured pathway ensures young players are identified, assessed, and developed at multiple stages before reaching the global platform, creating a comprehensive talent identification system that spans the entire table tennis world.
The week prioritised skill development and learning over competitive outcomes, with five intensive training days led by ITTF Head Coaches Eva Jeler and Magnus Mallander. Sessions focused on technical progression, physical improvements, and consistency, providing participants with world-class coaching expertise.
Complementing the table tennis instruction, Dave Hembrough of Sheffield Hallam University delivered an engaging strength and conditioning workshop, later leading a play-based warm-up session that proved extremely popular with participants.
The programme extended beyond technical development, with ITTF Planet Ambassador Martin Perry delivering an inspiring educational session on sustainability and food waste, linking sport with environmental responsibility and community impact.
The week concluded with the Challenge competition, designed to assess players’ ability to apply their training in competitive conditions. Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira claimed the boys’ title, defeating Jacob Kordus of the USA in the final, whilst Japan’s Kaede Neya secured the girls’ championship with victory over Malaysia’s Zhi Yu Eng.
The innovative competition format combined round-robin group stages with progressive knockout rounds, featuring short games with golden points at 10-10 to encourage fast-paced, decisive play. England’s three participants – Amber Lemmon, Jayden Xuan Chen, and Dimitar Dimitrov – gained valuable international experience during the group stages.
However, competitive results represented only one element of the comprehensive evaluation process that defines the Hopes Programme’s talent identification approach.
The selection process evaluated players across multiple dimensions beyond match results. Technical ability, training attitude, competition approach, and overall development potential all factored into the assessment, ensuring selections reflected genuine long-term promise rather than simply current competitive outcomes.
This holistic approach explains why the Hopes Team selections didn’t simply mirror the competition podium finishes. The evaluation process sought to identify players with the greatest potential for development rather than only those achieving immediate competitive success.
2025 Hopes Team Selected
Following comprehensive evaluation throughout the week, eight players earned selection to the Hopes Team, unlocking access to the High Performance pathway with scholarship support and additional funded training and competition opportunities.
Girls’ Hopes Team:
- Kaede Neya (Japan)
- Zhi Yu Eng (Malaysia)
- Emma Yang (USA)
- Bianca Toma (Romania)
Boys’ Hopes Team:
- Joseph Sebatindira (Uganda)
- Lucas Alexandre (New Zealand)
- Jacob Kordus (USA)
- Pietro Campagna (Italy)
The selections reflect strong geographic diversity, with representation from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, demonstrating the global reach of the talent identification pathway.
The Hopes Week embodied the culmination of ITTF’s comprehensive talent identification strategy. From initial national-level activities through Continental Hopes programmes to the World Hopes Week, the pathway creates multiple assessment and development opportunities for young players worldwide.
For the eight Hopes Team members, Sheffield marks the beginning of an accelerated development journey with enhanced coaching, training, and competition opportunities. For all 40 participants, the week provided invaluable international exposure, world-class instruction, and connections with peers from across the globe.
The 2025 cycle demonstrated the maturity and effectiveness of the Hopes Programme, with Continental activities successfully delivered across all regions and the global gathering in Sheffield providing comprehensive assessment and development opportunities.
As attention turns to the 2026 Hopes cycle, the host bidding process for next year’s World Hopes Week has officially opened. Member Associations interested in hosting this prestigious talent identification gathering can visit here.