World Table Tennis Day 2020: Tonga announced to host the main celebration
After 5 successful years, this special and crucial day for us needs another spotlight on another continent!
A true global table tennis event, World Table Tennis Day counts on the commitment of thousands of table tennis lovers all around the world hosting events to celebrate the passion for our sport. We, the ITTF Foundation, are now proud to announce that this year’s main celebration will be hosted at Ha’amonga in Niutoua, Tonga. Hence, with Oceania, the tour around the world is complete.
Let’s go shortly back in time…
Between 2015 and 2019, we celebrated table tennis in the main street of Argentina’s Capital Buenos Aires; we inaugurated the TT4NepALL project in Kathmandu together with para players; we showed the world the simplicity of adapted sports at the UN Headquarters in New York and concurrently focused on driving positive change internationally at the Sport Accord Convention in Aarhus; we played with refugees in the Za’atari Camp at the Jordan border with Syria and we practiced with kids at two projects in Uganda encouraging school attendance and giving hope.
The countdown towards the next edition of the World Table Tennis Day is running! FAST! This year’s host will be the Tongan Table Tennis Federation preparing a fun, active, environmentally friendly and inclusive event at one of Tongan’s tourist attractions. Following this year’s spirit of #TT4Environment, TTTF is partnering with the non-profit organisation No Pelesitiki (No Plastics) who advocates against the use of plastic and contributes to minimise its use in Tonga.
“It’s always a very exciting moment to see people enjoying table tennis in remote areas. The event in Tonga will show us, that we do not only have 226 affiliated members on six continents, but 226 active members on six continents promoting table tennis for all. For life.”
Thomas Weikert, ITTF & ITTF Foundation President“I am glad to see how the Tonga Table Tennis Federation understands the spirit of World Table Tennis Day. A very inclusive and universal table tennis event is being prepared. For us, as the Foundation it is very important to be in the field and witness the challenges and successes of our partners with our own eyes. It’s the way we learn, and this is how we can best respond to the real existing needs. I am looking forward to visit one of our future Dream Building projects and celebrate World Table Tennis Day together with them!”
Leandro Olvech, ITTF Foundation Director“We are pleased to host the main celebration of the World Table Tennis Day 2020 in Tonga as it will also mark the launch of the Dream Building project raising awareness of the inclusion of persons with disabilities to society through table tennis. It's a wonderful opportunity for people in our communities to reduce negative perception on the ones with a disability and see table tennis as a great tool of inclusion.”
Netina Latu, CEO Tonga Table Tennis Federation
To ALL who have not registered an event, watch and share our promotional video, get inspired and ...
In French: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gcrw2dU3mvc
In Spanish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swDAbg_Se4A
In Portuguese: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrN0In1aJgU
In Arabic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwgBWM13gaU