by Jia Li, ITTF Communication Coordinator
Thanks to our dedicated promoters and organisers, our first effort in raising awareness towards gender equality resulted in 314 events and home celebrations in 98 countries and territories. Over 39,000 active participants joined us on the day, physically or virtually showing off their skills and passion for table tennis.
Check out the highlights of our WTTD 2021 celebration:
Many clubs saw an underrepresentation of female players prior to WTTD 2021 and have made boosting female participation in table tennis their priority. Thanks to the FEMpowerment campaign, 614 female athletes in total have joined a club, averaged 21 per Promoter’s club.
Notably 68 per cent of our promoters are female, who admittedly felt empowered through the promoter campaign. Our male promoters also played a crucial role, introducing table tennis to their female friends and raising awareness towards gender equality.
WTTD 2021 was a success only because of your support, and the generous help we received from the officials, volunteers, and players around the world. Saying goodbye to WTTD 2021 does not mean turning the page on female empowerment and gender equality. The road is long, but we are happy to have you on board in our quest to create a world in which gender defines no more than a pronoun.
Preparations for WTTD 2022 are already at full speed. Using table tennis for peace making and conflict resolution will be the central message as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ping Pong Diplomacy. Have an event in mind that would do just that? Save the date and take part in this incredible table tennis movement!
Download the WTTD 2021 Report.
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