Table Tennis
ITTF INVITE CITIES TO BID TO HOUSE NEW HEADQUARTERS
BY MICHAEL PAVITT
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has invited cities to bid to house its new headquarters and also asks cities to become the location of the governing body’s headquarters, training centre and a high performance and development base.
The ITTF’s current headquarters are located in the Olympic capital Lausanne in Switzerland, while their Asia-Pacific office is based in Singapore.
The Singapore office is asserted to account for half of the ITTF’s 50 professional staff.
It is claimed that staff numbers are increase by 50 per cent in the coming years, leading to a search for a new “home of table tennis”.
The ITTF claim cities would benefit from global prestige, millions of dollars in turnover and the potential of hosting major sporting events should they be chosen as the location for their new headquarters.
“Whilst this is an objective for beyond 2019, the ITTF is already planning ahead to set up a true ‘home of table tennis,” said Steve Dainton, ITTF chief executive.
“All cities submitting bids will realise the exceptional opportunities available to them, not least raising their global profile and significant economic investments into their local communities.
“This won’t just be an office, but also a permanent base for our high performance and development strategy and state-of-the-art training facilities.
“The ultimate goal would be to have a mini museum, TTX tables and a retail store too.
“We want people to stop by and enjoy a game of table tennis as well.
“Hopefully this is the place that can help create the next stars of our sport.
“After all, we need to be nurturing a new generation of talent from different parts of the world to ensure an exciting future for table tennis and one which will attract more and more spectators and supporters from across the globe.
“The new ‘home of table tennis’ will go a long way to helping us achieve our long-term ambitions.”
The ITTF state while they are seeking a new headquarters to house its ever-increasing professional staff, an international training centre will also be created for its high performance and development projects.
The governing body claim cities will be helping to create and nurture stars of the future, while the centre would offer pathways for local table tennis talent to train with the best coaches and players in the world.
Local professionals would have opportunities to join on board as ITTF staff members and contribute directly to the sport’s continued global growth, the ITTF state.
Candidates will be required to be located within an international city and have space for the ITTF office to expand over time.
A minimum office space of 1,000 square metres, preferably developed specifically for the ITTF on vacant land, has also been outlined as a requirement.
Close proximity to an international airport is viewed as necessary given the ITTF’s global footprint, although with visa support to ensure staff from various countries are able to live and work within the country.
The deadline for expressions of interest will be April 15, with a concept and plan due to be submitted by August 31.
An evaluation period will follow from September 1 to December 31, prior to a decision being announced by the governing body.
The ITTF have claimed it is the best time to invest in table tennis, with upwards of 500 million people asserted to be playing the sport around the world.
Growth over the last 10 years in terms of commercial value, global participation and world-class events has also been claimed by the ITTF.
As part of their new strategic plan, the ITTF will hold all of its commercial rights heading into the next cycle in 2021.
Otan Ayegbaju, a historic town in Southwestern Nigeria, will host 50 teams from states and clubs across the country for the 5th edition of the Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial National Table Tennis Championships in Osun State.
The tournament, sponsored by the Michael and Felicia Alabi Foundation and organised by the Osun State Table Tennis Association under the auspices of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), will take place at Idera Multi-Purpose Hall in Otan Ayegbaju from April 27 to May 3, 2025.
Participating teams will come from various states including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Taraba, Nasarawa, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, and the host state, Osun. Expected clubs include Aruna Sports Club, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Police Force.
With over ₦11.5 million at stake, the one-week tournament will take place at the newly built Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall.
Ayodeji Alabi, chairman of the Osun State Table Tennis Association, stated that the tournament aims to complement the federation’s efforts to discover new talent and empower youth across the country.
To enhance this year’s edition, the tournament promises a blend of sports and entertainment, with several artists scheduled to perform daily.
Alabi, a member of the ITTF Africa Committee, assured that all participants would be accommodated and fed throughout the event to motivate them to perform their best.
“Whoever comes to this tournament will take home a lot of happiness because we have an entertainment lounge featuring many artists. After the games, there will be comedy shows, music performances, and well-known disc jockeys. We are creating a diverse entertainment portfolio for everyone attending,” Alabi said.
Additionally, para and deaf events will be part of this year’s edition, with athletes competing in various categories including men’s singles, women’s singles, U-15 boys’ and girls’ singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, veteran singles, para men’s singles open, para women’s singles open, deaf men’s singles, deaf women’s singles, and local singles.
“This year, we expect about 400 to 450 participants, and we will house and feed them free of charge. This year’s tournament is different because we have created an environment where participants will sleep and eat well,” Alabi added.
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Solange Ngonda Tibesa, an Ogoja-based Cameroonian refugee, will be representing Nigeria at the fifth edition of the World Table Tennis Day 2025 event.
The WTTD 2025 is an event that is supported by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to promote the development of the game of table tennis at the grassroots level all over the world.
According to the ITTF, “Thirty promoters were selected for World Table Tennis Day (WTTD) 2025.
“Representing 27 countries and territories across all five continents. These passionate individuals will play a pivotal role in uniting communities and sharing the joy of table tennis on 23rd April 2025.”
A record 160 persons applied to be considered as WTTD 2025 promoters, out of which Solange and 29 other applicants from 27 countries and five continents applied to be considered.
Furthermore, the ITTF stated that they will provide Solange and the other promoters with financial assistance, capacity-building resources, and personalised guidance to align their initiatives with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the theme of diversity and inclusion.
Solange, who is currently a full-time staff member of Save the Children, is also a trained netball coach who supervises the compulsory twice-a-week training of the more than thirty netballers who are based at the Adagom 3 refugee camp.
During a telephone interview with our reporter, Solange stated that on 23rd April 2025, she and the Ogoja refugees table tennis organising committee hope to hold the event in the Adagom 1, Adagom 3 and Ukende camps.
Over one thousand persons are expected to attend this event in the three separate refugee camps. The event will be spiced up with a table tennis challenge, live music, health and well-being talks, and some light refreshments for the spectators.
Furthermore, Solange stated: “As an experienced community worker, I know the important role sports can play in bringing people together and giving them the opportunities to compete with each other under set rules, in a respectful manner. I am also aware that sports could be used to empower and provide psychosocial support to vulnerable persons, including the physically challenged.
“We hope to use the game of table tennis to reach out to my fellow Cameroonians and members of our host community in Ogoja.”
Finally, Solange commended the CSED (Community Sports and Educational Development) Initiative for bringing the WTTD 2025 grant advertisement to her attention and encouraging her to apply for WTTD 2025.
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Wahid Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), has reaffirmed the continental body’s commitment to supporting coaches in their quest to match their foreign counterparts.
Speaking as a guest at the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)-organized National Hopes Week, Oshodi emphasized the importance of coaches growing alongside their players through regular training and courses to enhance their knowledge of the sport.
Following the recent Level 2 Coaching Course held in Tunisia, Oshodi assured that more training opportunities would be provided for those shaping future stars in Africa. “First of all, you need a pathway. Coaches who participated in last year’s ITTF training camp, which included the Level 1 Coaching Course, are part of this pathway.
“We want to see what the coaches are doing and bring the players they’ve been working with. For me, the main criterion is age. We need these kids playing U-9 and U-10 to develop into top players early.
“The best players in the world now are U-21, so we can’t do things differently. From what we’ve seen so far, Nigeria is on the right path.”
Oshodi added, “With NTTF National Hopes Week, we hope to see more talents emerge quickly. We have 30-40 children from all over Nigeria taking part, and the talent pool is much larger than that.
“Our coaches are improving, and we’re working on getting new courses for them so they can transfer their knowledge to the children. We’re pleased with the progress, and the results are starting to show.”
Tunji Lawal, Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association, also praised the initiative.
“These are the future generations of Nigeria, and it’s great to see them in action.
“This shows we have potential in Nigeria, and future stars like Aruna Quadri are emerging. We’re glad to have this kind of initiative for the development of the game in Nigeria. I believe success comes from failure, so even if Lagos isn’t in the finals, it means we have more work to do to bring our players up to the required standard. We will continue to try and do our best,” Lawal said.
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