Building Handcrafted Table Tennis Tables

Worldwide

Title

Tables 4 ALL

Status

Published

Start date

2019

Project description

One of the major obstacles to table tennis practise is the absence of material available, and the difficulty to acquire tables for local organisations. A local production allows an almost neutral ecological print, while a worldwide shipping of tables has an ecological impact.

In a previous stage, a manual of how to build different models of handcrafted tables has been created. Since then, we have conducted test courses from which findings and conclusions we have finalised manuals and videos showing information on how to choose your table, as well as detailed instructions of 4 different models.

Aim

To make table tennis more accessible and to impact more people from the projects we support, clubs, ITTF Member Associations and all table tennis fans by providing them with tools and inspiration considering their own local reality.

Target group

ALL - with a focus of the inclusion of disadvantaged communities

Project implementation

ITTF Foundation
Ping Sans Frontières (PSF)

Project content:

One of the main barriers to develop table tennis world-wide is the lack of equipment at affordable prices due to the lack of sporting shops, the long and expensive process to import tables from abroad involving customs, transportation to the end destination or even the high cost of the tables compared to the resources available for the local clubs.

Objectives:

- To provide free access to material on our website section “Get Inspired” for everyone in the table tennis community
- To offer a sustainable solution for equipment
- To offer a potential exit strategy to our partners by providing them the possibility to generate their own income through the production and sale of tables

Updates:

- Official Tables 4 ALL test course conducted in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Test mission conducted in Takoradi, Ghana
- Modification and adjustments of the course material according to learning outcomes from test courses
- Preparation of a pilot Sport 4 Development capacity building workshop with Tables 4 ALL as example
- Publication of manuals and videos on World Table Tennis Day 2023