The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and is the only authority recognised for this purpose by the

International Table Tennis Federation The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the Sport governing body, governing body for all national table tennis associations that use ITTF-approved sponge table tennis rackets. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regula ...

. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organisation of continental table tennis competitions, including the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

History

Following their decision to make the

World Table Tennis Championships The World Table Tennis Championships are table tennis competitions sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). The World Championships have been held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Five individual events, which include men ...

a biennial event from 1957 onwards, the

(ITTF) invited the separate European table tennis associations to consider holding a European Championships in the intervening, even-numbered years. At a meeting on 13 March 1957 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

during that year's World Championships, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) was created by the associations of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the USSR, Wales, West Germany and Yugoslavia. A board of seven was elected, including Frenchman Jean Belot as the first chairman, and the first

took place in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

in 1958. At a meeting in 1960, the ETTU decided to introduce a competition for European club teams, and the first

European Club Cup of Champions The European Club Cup of Champions, often known as the European Cup or ECCC, was a table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table ...

for men took place in early 1961, with a women's event added three years later. In 1964, the ETTU assumed responsibility for youth competitions in Europe, and in 1970 the main competition for youth players was renamed the European Youth Championships. An experimental classification tournament was held in 1971, featuring the top twelve-ranked European players in a

round robin Round-robin may refer to: Computing * Round-robin DNS, a technique for dealing with redundant Internet Protocol service hosts * Round-robin networks, communications networks made up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology * Round-robin schedu ...

-style competition. This event would go on to be held annually as the

Europe Top-12 The Europe Top 16, also known as the Europe Top 16 Cup and previously known as the Europe Top 12, is a table tennis tournament organised annually by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), featuring the highest-ranked players in Europe. History ...

. In 1984, Nancy Evans retired from her role as Honorary General Secretary, having held that role for 27 years since the formation of the ETTU. In recognition of her outstanding service, she was appointed as the ETTU's first Honorary Life Member. Between 1991 and 1995, the number of ETTU member associations increased dramatically from 37 to 52, largely due to applications from table tennis associations of nations that were formerly part of the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, in addition to the dissolution of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. In 1998, the

European Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robin ...

was created for men's club teams (a women's Champions League followed in 2005), and in 1999, the ETTU entered into their first TV contract with ITTF/TMS, which enabled Champions League matches to be broadcast live on

Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia, owned and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its WBD Sports unit, it operates two main channels—Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territorie ...

. In 2000, a decision was taken to switch the

to odd-numbered years from 2003 onwards. This was in response to the ITTF's decision to start holding

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

every year, alternating between individual events in odd-numbered years and team events in even-numbered years. From 2007, the European Championships became an annual event, and from 2016, the Championships will feature singles and doubles events in even-numbered years, with team events in odd-numbered years. Following the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, the ETTU Executive Board banned Russian and Belarusian players and officials from ETTU events, in accord with the recommendations of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

(IOC), and in March 2022 its Russian president

Igor Levitin Igor Yevgenyevich Levitin (; born 21 February 1952) is a Russian political figure, aide to the president of the Russian Federation since September 2013, and Class 1 active state advisor of the Russian Federation (2013). He previously served as the ...

self-suspended himself.

Member Associations

The 58 member associations of the ETTU as of September 2022, include: * - Albanian Table Tennis Federation * - Fédéració Andorrana de Tenis de Taula * -

Armenian Table Tennis Federation The Armenian Table Tennis Federation (), is the regulating body of table tennis in Armenia, governed by the Armenian Olympic Committee. The headquarters of the federation is located in Yerevan. History The Federation is currently led by president ...

* - Österreichischer Tisch-Tennis Verband * - Azerbaijan Table Tennis Federation * - Belarus Table Tennis Federation (players and officials banned from events) * - Fédération Royale Belge de Tennis de Table *

Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north a ...

- Table Tennis Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina * - Bulgarian Table Tennis Federation * - Croatian Table Tennis Association * - Cyprus Table Tennis Association * -

Czech Table Tennis Association The Czech Table Tennis Association () is the National Sporting Organisation for the Sport of Table Tennis in the Czech Republic and is affiliated with the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) which oversees the international governance a ...

* - Danish Table Tennis Association * -

Table Tennis England Table Tennis England, formerly the English Table Tennis Association, is the national governing body for table tennis in England, responsible for representing, coordinating, administering, marketing and developing the sport. Most of its annual inc ...

* -

Estonian Table Tennis Association Estonian Table Tennis Association (abbreviation ETTA; ) is one of the sport governing bodies in Estonia which deals with table tennis. ETTA is established on 24 November 1990 in Tallinn. ETTA is a member of International Table Tennis Federation ...

* - Bordtennisamband Foroya * - Finnish Table Tennis Association * - Fédération Française de Tennis de Table * - Table Tennis Federation of Georgia * - Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund * - Gibraltar Table Tennis Association * - Hellenic Table Tennis Association * - Greenland Table Tennis Federation * - Guernsey Table Tennis Association * - Hungarian Table Tennis Association * - Icelandic Table Tennis Association * - Irish Table Tennis Association * - Isle of Man Table Tennis Association * - Israeli Table Tennis Association * - Italian Table Tennis Federation * -

Jersey Table Tennis Association The Jersey Table Tennis Association (the JTTA) was established in 1923 and is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Jersey. The organisation has been affiliated to the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) since 1935. Table Ten ...

* -

Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo The Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo (TTFK) (Albanian: ''Federata e Pingpongut tė Kosovės'', / ''Stonoteniski savez Kosova'') is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Kosovo. History The TTFK was recognised by sport's governing b ...

* - Table Tennis Federation of Latvia * - Liechtensteiner Tischtennisverband * - Lithuanian Table Tennis Federation * - Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Tennis de Table * - Macedonian Table Tennis Association * - Malta Table Tennis Association * - Moldova Table Tennis Federation * - Fédération Monégasque de Tennis de Table * - Table Tennis Association of Montenegro * - Nederlandse Tafeltennisbond * - Norges Bordtennisforbund * - Polish Table Tennis Federation * - Federação Portuguesa de Ténis de Mesa * - Federația Română de Tenis de Masă * - Table Tennis Federation of Russia (players and officials banned from events) * - Federazione Sammarinese Tennistavolo * - Table Tennis Scotland * - Table Tennis Association of Serbia * - Slovak Table Tennis Association * - Slovenian Table Tennis Association * - Real Federación Espanola de Tenis de Mesa * - Swedish Table Tennis Association * - Swiss Table Tennis Federation * - Turkish Table Tennis Federation * - Ukraine Table Tennis Federation * -

Table Tennis Association of Wales The Table Tennis Association of Wales () (TTAW) (founded 1921) is the national governing body of table tennis in Wales. It is affiliated to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the European Table Tennis Union, and was a founding ...

Competitions

The ETTU authorises the following competitions:

Nations

– held since 1958, and annually since 2007; the main continental championships featuring singles, doubles and team events * Europe Top 16 – held annually since 1971; features Europe's top 16 players, with the top three finishers guaranteed a place at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

. * European Under-21 Championships – new event for under-21 players, held for the first time in 2017 * European Youth Championships – held annually since 1955; the main continental championships for junior (under-18) and cadet (under-15) players * Europe Youth Top 10 – held annually since 1985; features Europe's top 10 junior (under-18) and top 10 cadet (under-15) players. *

Euro-Asia Cup The Euro-Asia Cup, more recently known as the Asia-Euro Cup or Asia-Europe All Stars Challenge, is a table tennis team competition currently held annually in China between teams of professional players representing Asia and Europe. History Fir ...

– alternated between Europe and Asia from 2009 until 2012; authorised by the ATTU and held annually in China since 2013 *

European Games The European Games is a continental multi-sport event in the Olympic tradition contested by athletes from countries served by national Olympic committees within the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the regional association for such committ ...

– singles and team events held as part of the European Games, every four years from 2015 onwards *European Olympic Qualification Tournament – held in Olympic years to determine European qualifiers for

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

singles events *European Veterans' Championships – held in odd-numbered years since 1995, with competitions in eight different age categories *

European Para Table Tennis Championships European Para Table Tennis Championships are a biennial sport event for para table tennis players who represent a European country. It is one of the first regional para table tennis championships to be held. France have so far earned the most meda ...

* Europaliga since 1967/68 to 2002/03. *

European Nations Cup European Nations Cup may refer to: *UEFA European Championship, formerly known as European Nations' Cup * Europcar Cup, a European Tour golf tournament *European Nations Cup (golf), a European Ladies Tour golf tournament * European Nations Cup (fie ...

(Men) since 1991 to 1998. *

(Women) since 1994 to 2000. * European Masters Cup since 1991 to 1999. * Euro Super Cup. * European U13 Championship since 2023. *

Clubs

– replaced the ''European Club Cup of Champions'' (see below) as the most important international club competition in Europe; the men's competition has been held annually since 1998/99, with the women's competition held annually since 2005/06. *

ETTU Cup The ETTU Cup is the second most important continental tournament for clubs in European table tennis, after the European Champions League. The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) has organized this cup since the 1964-65 season for men teams, and als ...

– the second tier international club competition in Europe; the men's competition has been held annually since 1964/65, with the women's competition starting one year later. *

(defunct) – former club competition, replaced by the ''European Champions League''; the men's competition was held annually from 1960/61 until 2000/01, with the women's competition held annually from 1963/64 until 2004/05 * ETTU Europe Trophy is the third most important continental tournament for clubs in

, after the

and the

since 2022.

Hall of Fame

In September 2015, the ETTU introduced the European Table Tennis Hall of Fame, with the aim of honouring champions, legendary players and other individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the sport of table tennis in Europe.

Inductees

The following people have been inducted into the Hall of Fame: 2015 * Maria Alexandru *

Mikael Appelgren Kent Mikael Appelgren (born 15 October 1961 in Stockholm) is a Swedish former table tennis player. Table tennis career He was 4-times World Champion, 9-times European Champion, 2-times Europe Top-12 winner, and World Cup winner. He also won ...

Otilia Bădescu Otilia Bădescu, born 31 October 1970 in Bucharest, Romania, is a former Romanian table tennis player. Table tennis career From 1986 to 2005 she won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships ...

* Viktor Barna *

Csilla Bátorfi Csilla Bátorfi (born 3 March 1969 in Szombathely) is a Hungarian table tennis player. She competed at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1988 (when the sport first appeared at the Games) to 2004. She won several titles in European Championshi ...

Stellan Bengtsson Stellan Bengtsson (born 26 July 1952) is a Swedish former table tennis player. He became the first Swede to win the men's singles at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1971.Zoltán Berczik *

Richard Bergmann Richard Bergmann (10 April 1919 – 5 April 1970) was an Austrian-British international table tennis player. Winner of seven World Championships, including four Singles, one Men's Doubles, two Team's titles and 22 medals in total. He is conside ...

Tamara Boroš Tamara Boroš (born 19 December 1977) is a Croatian table tennis player. She is one of the relatively rare European players in modern times who successfully competed at the highest level against Asian players. Boroš was born in a Hungarian fam ...

* Fliura Bulatova * Gizi Farkas *

Jean-Philippe Gatien Jean-Philippe Gatien (, born 16 October 1968, in Alès, France, is a retired French table tennis player. He competed in four Olympics Games from 1988 to 2000, winning silver in the singles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze in doubles (wi ...

Gábor Gergely Gábor Gergely (born 21 June 1953, in Budapest) is a former international table tennis player from Hungary. Table tennis career From 1974 to 1983 he won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European Champions ...

Andrzej Grubba Andrzej Stanisław Grubba (14 May 1958 – 21 July 2005) was a Polish table tennis player. Profile Grubba was born in Brzeźno Wielkie near Starogard Gdański. He was the recipient of numerous medals for the world competition in table tenn ...

Jill Hammersley Jill Parker-Hammersley-Shirley is a former female table tennis player from England. Table tennis From 1972 to 1982 she won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships and in the World Table Ten ...

Marie Hrachová Marie Hrachová (born 12 November 1963) is a female former Czech international table tennis player. Table tennis career She won a silver medal at the 1985 World Table Tennis Championships in the mixed doubles with Jindřich Panský. She compet ...

* Kjell Johansson *

István Jónyer István Jónyer (born 4 August 1950 in Miskolc) is a former international table tennis player from Hungary. In 1975, Jonyer became the World champion in singles event. Table tennis career He was one of the most dominant players of the sport in ...

Tibor Klampár Tibor Klampár (born 30 April 1953) is a former international table tennis player from Hungary. Table tennis career From 1970 to 1982 he won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the World Table Tennis Championships and in the ...

Éva Kóczián Éva Kóczián, later Kóczián-Földy (born May 25, 1936 in Budapest) is a former female international table tennis player from Hungary. Table tennis career She won twelve medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the World Table Tennis C ...

Johnny Leach John Alfred Leach MBE (20 November 1922 – 5 June 2014) was a British table tennis player, coach, and author. He began competing at a relatively old age, 17, before serving in World War II. During the war, he greatly elevated his game a ...

Judit Magos Judit Magos-Havas (19 February 1951 — 18 October 2018), was a female international table tennis player from Hungary. Table tennis career From 1972 to 1982, she won eleven medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis Europea ...

Mária Mednyánszky Mária Mednyánszky (7 April 1901 Budapest – 22 December 1978 also Budapest) was a Hungarian international table tennis star. Table tennis career She became the first official women's world champion winning the women's singles event go ...

Jörgen Persson Jörgen Persson (born 22 April 1966 in Halmstad, Sweden) is a Swedish table tennis player. Career In two memorable World Table Tennis Championships finals he faced fellow Swede Jan-Ove Waldner in 1989 and 1991, losing the former and winning th ...

* Valentina Popova * Gertrude Pritzi *

Jörg Roßkopf Jörg Roßkopf (born May 22, 1969 in Dieburg, Hesse) is a former professional Germany, German table tennis player who is currently the head coach of the German Men's National Table Tennis Team. As a player, he won the title in Men's Doubles at t ...

Angelica Rozeanu Angelica Rozeanu (née Adelstein; 15 October 1921 – 21 February 2006) was a Romanian table tennis player of Jewish origin, the most successful female table tennis player in the history of the sport, winning the women's world singles title 6 ye ...

Zoja Rudnova Zoja Rudnova (19 August 1946 - 12 March 2014) was an international table tennis player from the former Soviet Union. Table tennis career From 1964 to 1976 she won several medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the Table Tennis European ...

Werner Schlager Werner Schlager (born September 28, 1972 in Wiener Neustadt, Austria) is a table tennis player and former world champion from Austria. Career Schlager began playing table tennis when he was six years old, learning from his father, Rudolph Schla ...

Eberhard Schöler Eberhard Schöler (born 22 December 1940) is a retired table tennis competitor from West Germany who won several medals at the world and European championships between 1962 and 1972. He was a defensive player known for his calm demeanor, for wh ...

Ferenc Sidó Ferenc Sidó (18 April 1923 in Pata – 6 February 1998 in Budapest) was an ethnic Hungarian international table tennis player from Slovakia. Table tennis career From 1947 to 1961 he won 26 medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the W ...

Dragutin Šurbek Dragutin Šurbek (8 August 1946 – 15 July 2018) was a Croatian and Yugoslav table tennis player and coach. Career Šurbek won two World Championship titles in the men's doubles event. He won gold medals in 1979 (with Antun Stipančić) and ...

Bettine Vriesekoop Hubertina Petronella Maria "Bettine" Vriesekoop (born 13 August 1961) is a former table tennis player from the Netherlands. She was European champion in 1982 and 1992 individually and in 1982 in mixed doubles. She competed at the 1988, 1992 and 1 ...

Jan-Ove Waldner Jan-Ove Waldner (; born 3 October 1965),Jan-Ove Waldner profile.'' Swedish Table Tennis Federation in Sweden commonly ''J-O Waldner'' or simply mononymously as ''J-O'' (), is a Swedish former professional table tennis player. He is often referre ...

* Ella Zeller-Constantinescu 2016 *

Hans Alsér Hans "Hasse" Alsér (23 January 1942 – 15 January 1977) was a Swedish international table tennis player and later the head coach of West German (1971–1974) and Swedish (1974–1977) national teams. At the peak of his career, Alser was ranke ...

Žarko Dolinar Žarko Dolinar (3 July 1920 – 9 March 2003) was a Croatian biologist and table tennis player who won eight medals at the World Table Tennis Championships. He was born in a family of Slovene economic immigrants to Croatia. In 1939, at the ag ...

Marie Kettnerová Marie Kettnerová (born in Prague on 4 April 1911; died in London on 28 February 1998) was a female Czech international table tennis player. Table tennis career She won an incredible 23 World Table Tennis Championships medals from 1933 to 1950. ...

Fred Perry Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a British tennis and table tennis player and former World number 1 male tennis player rankings, world No. 1 from England who won 10 Majors, including eight Grand Slam (tennis), ...

Jean-Michel Saive Jean-Michel Saive (; born 17 November 1969) is a Belgian former professional table tennis player. Saive competed at seven consecutive Olympics between 1988 and 2012, and he was also a winner in singles at European Championship 1994. Personal l ...

* Diane Schöler *

Agnes Simon Agnes Simon (''née'' Almási; 21 June 1935 – 19 August 2020) was an international table tennis player from Hungary. Personal life After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, she fled to Sweden to seek political asylum, together with her husband ...

Anna Sipos Anna Sipos (3 April 1908 – 1 January 1988) was a Hungarian international table tennis player. Table tennis career She won 21 medals in the World Table Tennis Championships Eleven of these were gold medals. including six consecutive women's do ...

Bohumil Váňa Bohumil Váňa (17 January 1920 – 4 November 1989) was a Czech international table tennis player who represented Czechoslovakia. He was born and died in Prague. Table tennis career From 1935 to 1955 he won 30 medals in singles, doubles, and te ...

2017 *

Vlasta Depetrisová Vlasta Depetrisová (20 December 1920 – 23 October 2003) was a Czech female international table tennis player. Table tennis career From 1936 to 1948 she won fourteen medals in singles, doubles, and team events in the World Table Tennis Champio ...

* Roland Jacobi *

Jacques Secrétin Jacques Secrétin (; 18 March 1949 – 25 November 2020) was a French international table tennis player. He was selected for the French national team at the age of 13 and became one of the most successful table tennis players in French history. ...

Nicole Struse Nicole Struse (born 31 May 1971 in Haan, North Rhine Westphalia) is a German table tennis player, who won several national contests and reached round three with Elke Wosik in the Women's Doubles Competition at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She repre ...

2019 * Peter Karlsson * Li Jiao *

Antun Stipančić Antun "Tova" Stipančić (Duga Resa, 18 May 1949 – Zagreb, 20 November 1991) was a highly accomplished Croatian and Yugoslav professional table tennis player. Table Tennis career He was one of the most renowned personalities in the history of ...

References

External links

European Table Tennis UnionEuropean Table Tennis Hall of Fame
{{National Members of the International Table Tennis Federation International organisations based in Luxembourg City International Table Tennis Federation Table tennis governing bodies

Table Tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

Table tennis in Europe