25 Promoters from all five continents have been selected to help the ITTF Foundation to promote grassroots diplomacy through table tennis on the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy.
EduDrive, the Dream Building Fund initiative in Ghana has proven that table tennis is a strong motivator to keep children in school. By taking part in the table tennis training, EduDrive project participants have reported a boost in confidence, as well as better social interactions, on top of improving academic performance.
Since its launch in June 2020, the #TableTennisUnited Fund had supported over 118 initiatives globally. Albeit we have entered 2022 with the unfortunate news of Omicron, #TableTennisUnited Fund remains the silver lining to the Covid-19 crisis, sending help to the worldwide table tennis community thanks to 57 donors and the support of the ITTF Group.
Three Slum Ping Pong project participants, Shafi, Morris, and Ebenezer have received table tennis scholarships to continue their education at Standard High School – Zzana, Uganda. Supported by the Dream Building Fund, the three champs are the true witnesses of how table tennis can transform lives for disadvantaged children in slums.
Born in the Moldovan capital Chișinău, the now Austrian player shares with us the challenges she had faced as a young player, the inevitable relocation to continue the pursuit of her dream sport, as well as the solution she is bringing for the future generation of Moldovan players.
Creating a new legacy does not mean forgetting the past. We will continue with our current mission and look to extend the spirit of Ping Pong Diplomacy, gender equity and sustainability to all our programmes and projects.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the original event, the ITTF Group has declared 2021 and 2022 the biennial of Ping Pong Diplomacy. We find ourselves halfway through the commemoration as 2021 is coming to an end, while a new page of Ping Pong Diplomacy has just begun.
The #TableTennisUnited Fund has supported 109 initiatives worldwide since its launch in June 2020. With the generous donation of 57 donors and the ITTF Group, a total of 406,428 USD (and counting!) is raised and has been distributed to help those that took a hard hit by the pandemic in the table tennis community.
After a long dormant due to Covid-19, EduDrive, a Dream Building Fund 2020 initiative is back on track and on its way to creating a great impact on the lives of slum children in Kweikuma and Ofankor Community in Accra, Ghana.
The International and European Sport Organisation (ISOs) Activate Citizens (INTERACT) website is live now! The INTERACT Project encourages ISOs to develop and promote Sport for All and physical activities. As one of the leading partner organisations, the ITTF Foundation is excited to share our knowledge with ISOs in activating the public to participate in sport.