Third SWAN Project Coordination Meeting Reinforces Consortium Collaboration

The 3rd coordination meeting of the SWAN project took place virtually on 25 June 2025. Project partners gathered to share knowledge on recent member activities, track progress on upcoming deliverables and highlight communication and dissemination best practices moving forward.

Work Package 2 in Progress: Preparing for July Deliverable

The priority focus of the online meeting was to discuss the status of the upcoming Work Package 2 - Strategic Research & Analysis deliverable, comprising 3 separate reports. Each responsible partner used this platform to shed light on their contributions for the 3 reports:

• Best Practices Report

The ITTF Foundation leads the development of the Best Practices Report, which aims to map how table tennis is being adapted in Europe and beyond for people with neurodegenerative diseases. The first objective was to get Best Practices from all the countries where partners come from. At the time of the meeting, the team had gathered 45 description forms from all over the world. (The number has increased to 54 at the time of this article’s publication.)

• Needs Assessment Report

The Needs Assessment Report, led by KTG Research & Innovation, seeks to understand what is needed for any sport, health, or care professional to start implementing table tennis for people with NDDs. The team launched a survey earlier in June, prior to the 3rd consortium meeting, and had already collected 30 answers. The target number of respondents was 100, with a preference for answers from partner countries. (The number of responses has increased to 220 at the time of this article’s publication.)

• Literature Review

The Literature Review, led by the University of Ljubljana, aims to gather studies dealing with physical activity, table tennis and NDDs, to demonstrate the benefits and understand which type of physical activity is helpful for these diseases. The first draft was shared by the team with the larger consortium prior to the meeting, and partners had already provided feedback. As of this article’s publication, we are in the process of finalising the document for submission to the EU.

The Road Ahead

After the Work Package 2 deliverable discussion, the focus shifted to items that reinforce the coordination of the consortium, including the Continuous Report and collecting communications data, specifically verifying each partner has accessible informational materials to promote and disseminate in their own networks. Attention also turned to the preparation of training materials and curricula designed to equip trainers with the knowledge and tools needed to work with individuals with NDDs. This includes planning sessions, exercises, intensity levels, and related programmes tailored to the needs of the target groups.

The delivery of educational materials and similar outreach activities is fundamental not only to advance project results, but to raise awareness around Europe on the impact of sport as a tool for health and wellness.

These collaborative meetings are essential for the consortium to ensure alignment on table tennis programming and the effective execution of table tennis health interventions. We look forward to sharing our findings with you all, bringing further visibility to the therapeutic impact of table tennis and building a community of informed and dedicated stakeholders!