2024 Wrap-Up: A Year of Impact and Growth for the ITTF Foundation
As 2024 comes to a close, the ITTF Foundation reflects on a year filled with milestones, groundbreaking initiatives, and collaborative achievements. This year also marked the 5th anniversary of the Foundation, a significant milestone in our journey of driving positive change through table tennis. Through our TT4ALL, TT4Health, TT Dream Building, and TT Legacy Programmes, we have worked tirelessly to harness the transformative power of table tennis to promote inclusivity, health, education, and peace worldwide. Here’s a look back at the key highlights from this remarkable year.
TT4ALL: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion took center stage in 2024, particularly through the World Table Tennis Day (WTTD) celebrations. Under the theme “Diversity and Inclusion,” we saw record-breaking participation, with 812 celebrations across 121 countries and territories. For the first time, the ITTF Foundation hosted its own main WTTD event in Leipzig, marking the 10th edition of WTTD and the 5th anniversary of the Foundation. The event featured the #ttbelongstoyou tournament, an exhibition match with diverse participants, and a roundtable discussion on fostering inclusion in table tennis.
To complement these efforts, the Diversity and Inclusion Handbook (Phase 1 and 2) was published, funded by GIZ and in collaboration with Pro Sport Development. While Phase 1 focused on theoretical frameworks, Phase 2 offered practical insights, best practices, and field testimonies, equipping stakeholders with tools to make table tennis more inclusive.
Additionally, we made strides in promoting safer spaces for women in sports through the Girls Positive and Safe Coaching Pathway initiative in association with TAFISA and Nike.
TT4Health: Focusing on strengthening the programme
The 2024 World Table Tennis for Health Festival in Maizières-lès-Metz, France, was an inspiring achievement for all the participants. From October 23–27, the Festival brought together the World Parkinson’s Table Tennis Championships, the World Alzheimer’s Table Tennis Championships, and the second edition of the World Table Tennis for Health Congress. The Festival achieved record-breaking participation, with 156 players representing 25 countries and territories. Despite certain operational challenges due to our attempt to introduce a new competition format, the support and resilience from participants reaffirmed our mission. On both days of the Congress, we had institutions such as UNESCO and WHO presenting and adding to the conversation. We also launched the Neuropong Handbook in association with Table Tennis Connections.
In preparation for the Festival, we successfully raised awareness and engaged global audiences through initiatives like the Friends of Foundation campaign, which encouraged donors to support our work. At the ITTF World Masters Championships in Rome, we supported two players with Parkinson’s, Agnes Jan and Steve Morley, who competed alongside 6000+ athletes, exemplifying the message of resilience and inclusion. We were able to raise over 10,000 Euros towards this cause.The festival also reinforced our partnership with Ultimate Table Tennis, which powered the event and enhanced global visibility for the cause. Looking forward, the host for the 2025 Festival was announced at the 2024 Festival: the Swedish Table Tennis Association will organise it in Helsingborg, Sweden, in November 2025.
TT Dream Building: Inspiring change and longevity for S4D projects
The Dream Building Programme thrived in 2024, with the launch of a new batch of projects under the Dream Building Fund (DBF) supported by The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD). Selected from 177 applications across 64 countries, the Grand Final featured 18 exceptional presentations. The chosen projects include ‘Ping Pong for Peace’ by the Somalia Table Tennis Federation in Somalia, ‘Shaping the Future through Table Tennis’ by Promoting Life-Time Activities for the Youth (PLAY) in Malawi, ‘Smash Barriers: Every Table is a Playground’ by Kapadwanj Kelavani Mandal in India, ‘Table Tennis against Alzheimer’s: The Art of Inclusion’ by the Foundation Compassion Alzheimer Bulgaria' in Bulgaria, and ‘Utilizing Table Tennis to Improve Integration and Social Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities’ by the Comprehensive Model University School Hebron in Palestine.
We concluded impactful projects like ‘Table Tennis for Education’ in Indonesia, which empowered over 4,000 students with health, life skills, and environmental education, and ‘Table Tennis for Early-Life Socio-Ecological Responsibility’ in India, which focused on awareness on climate action as well as addressed gender equality and inclusivity. One standout was the award-winning project ‘Smash Down Barriers’ in Tonga, recognised by the Australian Government for reducing inequalities and improving perceptions of persons with disabilities.
Our ongoing support for the new DBF projects included onground workshops on topics like M&E, effective communication, TT4D in Bulgaria and India. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to The Foundation for Global Sports Development for their unwavering support throughout this journey. As we look to grow the Dream Building Fund and embark on an exciting new chapter in 2025, we want to engage on bringing onboard more collaboration opportunities and partnerships.
Global Advocacy and Partnerships
In 2024, the ITTF Foundation significantly expanded its global influence through strategic advocacy, partnerships, and a strong presence at key events:
ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan 2024: We raised awareness of our initiatives through an engaging booth in the fan zone. This provided an opportunity to connect with table tennis enthusiasts and promote our newly launched Friends of Foundation fundraising campaign, encouraging supporters to join our mission. At the event, we officially signed a landmark sponsorship agreement with Ultimate Table Tennis, solidifying their commitment to advancing the Foundation’s mission on a global scale.
ITTF Foundation Day at Singapore Smash and WTT partnership:The Foundation Day at Singapore Smash proved to be a vital first step as the ITTF Foundation and World Table Tennis (WTT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), solidifying their commitment to collaborate in the future. As a strong beginning, a portion of all ticket sales from the Singapore Smash 2024 was pledged to support the foundation's initiatives, providing attendees with an opportunity to contribute to a meaningful cause. A total of 17,388 Singapore Dollars was raised through this effort!
World Table Tennis Day Recognition: Our flagship initiative was shortlisted for the prestigious Sports Business Award in the "Sports Equality, Diversity & Inclusion" category, showcasing the global impact of our commitment to inclusivity.
Paris 2024: During the Paris 2024 Olympics, we participated in UNESCO's 'Change the Game' conference and the Paris 2024 International Olympic Education, Sport, and Peace conference. These events were pivotal for engaging with influential leaders in sport who champion the idea of 'sport beyond sport.' Additionally, we were thrilled to honour a heartfelt request from the DBF alumni project FUDELA, helping refugee children secure tickets to watch table tennis matches in Paris, with the assistance of ITTF.
Sport for Development Network Germany: Co-founding this network alongside 27 organisations highlighted our dedication to leveraging sport as a powerful tool for social change and collaboration within the sector.
Strong presence and collaboration with UTT: The Foundation also had a strong presence at other global events, such as Ultimate Table Tennis in Chennai, India, where we announced the launch of the FANS of the ITTF Foundation Programme—a new ambassador initiative focused on Fundraising, Awareness, Networking, and Support to strengthen our global reach. Under this programme, we introduced two new ambassadors: Sharath Kamal Achanta, India’s table tennis icon, and Zoran Primorac, a table tennis legend whose career and passion for the sport make him an inspiring advocate for our mission.
US Open Participation: Our presence at the US Open, hosted by USATT, marked a pivotal step towards fostering collaboration with key stakeholders as we gear up for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle and raising awareness among more than 1400 players at the event.
Thought leadership in Sport For Development (S4D): From sharing insights on sports diplomacy in Lausanne to guest lecturing at the German Sports University, presenting at TAFISA's Fundraising webinar, and engaging at the Cape Town International Sport and Peace Conference, the Foundation continues to strengthen its role in the sport for development sector, inspiring collaboration from like-minded organisations as partners and supporters.
Looking Forward
As we close the year, the ITTF Foundation continues to grow, supported by a dedicated team and strengthened partnerships. From growing the World Table Tennis for Health Festival to pioneering new projects under the Dream Building Fund, we are proud of the strides made in 2024.
As we step into 2025, our focus remains on expanding our impact, incorporating learnings, fostering inclusivity, and demonstrating how table tennis can be a catalyst for positive global change.
Thank you to all our partners, supporters, fans and the global table tennis community, including the ITTF Group leadership as well as its staff, for making 2024 a year to remember! Together, we look forward to another year of creating meaningful change, driven by our belief that #TTCanChangeLives
To join our cause, support the foundation, donate here or write to us at info@foundation.ittf.com with your thoughts.