Following successful events in Lignano, Costa Brava, and Lathi, attention now heads to Amman with the home heroes at the heart of it all.
Tokyo 2020 Paralympian Faten Elelimat (WS4) is one of the home players to keep an eye on as competition gets underway on Sunday 13 April. The 31-year-old is Jordan’s best-ranked player in the women’s event, while fellow countrymen Osama Abu Jame (MS3) is among the ones to watch in the men’s competition.
But the two are not just after individual success on their home tables. Elelimat and Abu Jame will also team up in the mixed doubles event with their eyes firmly set on a ticket for Los Angeles 2028 in the coming months and years.
And they are not the only ones with LA28 on their minds. Sayed Youssef (EGY) might have already competed in five Games, he clearly isn’t done yet. The Egyptian superstar in the MS7 is eyeing his sixth Games and is among the medal favorites in Amman.
Another player to look out for is 16-year-old Zahra Namazi (WS7), a promising player from Iran who currently receives funding from the ITTF development program.
With 70 players from 13 different associations and three different continents, the competition in Jordan will be thrilling. Play in the three-day tournament commences on Sunday 13 April and lasts until Tuesday 15 April.
What Has Happened In The Series So Far?
Three Future events in the new Para circuit structure have taken place so far and the level of play has been outstanding, with exciting results to prove it.
The opening week in Lignano acted as a chance to get to grips with this new setup, and with 16 singles titles and eight more finals in the doubles, it provided the perfect launchpad for the events to come. The hosts Italy were at the heart of big results, with icon Giada Rossi winning the Class 2 crown. Federico Crosara, Matteo Parenzan and Carlotta Ragazzini all shone too, whilst the Class 1 rivalry between Aina Tapola (FIN) and Dorota Buclaw (POL) seeing the Finn come out on top this time.
In the second instalment – taking place in Costa Brava in March, it was arguably even more unmissable. It was a particularly successful stop for France, as Fabien Lamirault, Francois Geuljans, Alexandre Delarque and Mateo Boheas all emerged victorious in men’s competition, while Morgen Caillaud won singles glory on the women’s side.
In Lahthi, earlier this week, the Swedes showed their top-form as Michael Azulay (MS6), Sam Gustafsson (MS7) and Emil Andersson (MS8) all claimed victory in Finland. France’s Florien Merrien (MS3) and Emeric Martin (MS4-5) shone with gold in their respective classes, while Tahl Leibovitz (USA) claimed victory in the MS9. Kyra Liepach (GER) came out on top in the Women’s Class 1-5.
A Recap on the Three-tiers
Announced in November 2024, the new structure of the Para circuit incorporates three separate tiers: future, challenger and elite.
• Future is designed as a development point for emerging talents to hone their skills on the international stage and build their ranking.
• Challenger is the next step on the ladder. Competitions will tend to be larger and adopt a higher intensity. With up to eight Challenger events in 2025, each one promises to create big stories and develop exciting rivalries.
• Elite is where you can expect the very top stars of Para sport to meet. Huge showdowns, moments of pure magic and exhilarating competition are all guaranteed.
Each event in 2025 has something major at stake: valuable ranking points. Points will be awarded based off performances at each event, with the rankings adjusting throughout the course of the year to track who has been performing at the most consistent level.
For 2025, there is a one-year transition period which allows players to defend those points accumulated over the previous 52 weeks.
What’s coming up next?
After Amman, attention heads back to the Challenger events with a double-header later in April. Sao Paulo (BRA) is coming up from 24-27 April, before Montenegro’s capital city, Podgorica, takes place just a few days later.
May and June are stacked full of competition too, with four Future, one challenger and the opening Elite of the series lined up.
Continental championships are to come towards the end of the year too as Auckland (NZL), Sao Paulo (BRA), Beijing (CHN), Giza (EGY) and Helsingborg (SWE) play host to the very best from across the world.
