With 13 on-going initiatives and many more achievements to showcase, the ITTF Foundation reflected on a successful past year in a virtual meeting gathering more than 100 participants from all over the world; just over a month before the 2021 ITTF Annual General Meeting (AGM) opens in Houston, Texas.

As the Social Responsibility Arm of the ITTF, the Foundation uses the power of sport to bring positive changes in many ways. Members of the ITTF Foundation board led proceedings, complemented throughout by ITTF Foundation staff.

“During the midst of the pandemic, the ITTF Foundation has done a wonderful job in supporting the table tennis community. We live by the ITTF motto – Table Tennis. For ALL. For LIFE and we promise to stand by the table tennis community, our athletes, and our Member Associations,” said ITTF & ITTF Foundation President Thomas Weikert.

The TT Dream Building programme fully restarted this year with inclusive, sustainable field projects, from work with refugees in Azraq Camp in Jordan to new initiatives with people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in France.

The #TableTennisUnited donation campaign raised more than USD 400,000 to support 100+ projects worldwide. Moreover, the Emergency Relief Fund was used to help communities who suffered from Beirut explosion and from the earthquake in Croatia last year.

2021’s World Table Tennis Day – celebrated annually on 6 April since 2015 – had a focus on #FEMpowerment and took place online with 24-hour live stream.

“This year will go down in history, as the milestone that for the first time, gender equity, female empowerment, and sustainability in table tennis has been addressed comprehensively and holistically across the whole ITTF Group,” said ITTF Vice President & ITTF Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Petra Sörling.

During the videoconference, the ITTF Foundation signed the Brighton plus Helsinki Declaration, committing to be a true champion of equity for women and girls in sport and physical activity.

Next year’s focus for the World Table Tennis Day will be on promoting the use of Table Tennis for development and peace, in line with the biennial celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy. Organisations can already register their events here.

“The ITTF Foundation team improves the lives of the people it encounters,” said Ryu Seung-min, IOC member and ITTF Foundation Ambassador. For this tremendous work, the Foundation was nominated for four awards this year.

Watch the full presentation of the ITTF Foundation here

The Annual General Meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation will be held on 24 November 2021, on the occasion of the 2021 ITTF World Championship Finals in Houston, Texas. Prior to it, the ITTF Group is hosting a series of videoconferences from 18 October to 15 November, featuring presentations for the global Table Tennis community. Delegates registered officially for the 2021 Annual General Meeting will be receiving the invitations for each of the videoconferences. The schedule of the 2021 ITTF AGM Videoconferences series is available here.

For further information, please contact: [email protected]