Today marks the celebration of World Table Tennis Day (WTTD) 2025, as the global table tennis community comes together to embrace the sport’s power to unite people across boundaries, cultures, and backgrounds.
Under the theme of “Diversity and Inclusion” for 2024-2025, this year’s WTTD – an initiative by the ITTF Foundation – has reached unprecedented scale, with more than 300 events taking place across 120 countries and territories worldwide. From urban parks to rural community centres, the universal message that #TTBelongsToYou has resonated with players of all ages and abilities.
The main WTTD celebration event is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, where the ITTF Foundation has partnered with Vision Changers Kenya, a Dream Building Fund project partner. This community initiative uses table tennis as a tool for crime prevention, rehabilitation, and youth empowerment, helping to reduce juvenile offences and strengthen community bonds.
In northern India, Tanjun Associate LLP is demonstrating how table tennis can serve as a vehicle for both environmental sustainability and social change. Working with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the ITTF Foundation, Tanjun is empowering marginalised women by teaching them to craft sustainable bamboo sports equipment.
Combining table tennis events with hands-on training in sustainable manufacturing, the project has already conducted four training sessions with approximately 200 attendees, 80% of them women. Their work is particularly significant given this year’s World Table Tennis Day theme of diversity and inclusion. By the end of 2025, Tanjun aims to produce a 100% bamboo-based table tennis table, showcasing how the sport can contribute directly to sustainable development and climate action while providing economic opportunities in vulnerable communities.
Over the last few days, China also celebrated World Table Tennis Day with impressive scale through its “National Ball in Parks, 100 Parks and 10,000 People Playing Table Tennis to Promote Health” initiative. Launched across the country from 19-20 April, the festivities saw over 14,000 people participating simultaneously across 114 parks nationwide.
A highlight of China’s celebrations took place in Maca0 on 20 April, where table tennis stars Liang Jingkun and Wang Manyu participated in exhibition matches with young players from the Macau Youth Table Tennis School. The event, held at the historic Fortress of Macau, also featured special guests including ITTF President Petra Sörling, ITTF Deputy President Liu Guoliang, and ITTF Group CEO, Steve Dainton who partnered with the champions in friendly doubles matches against aspiring young players. The Macau celebration coincided with the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup 2025, bringing together recreational players and elite athletes in a perfect demonstration of table tennis’s universal appeal.
Since January, 32 dedicated WTTD Promoters from 28 countries and territories have been working to bring the spirit of World Table Tennis Day to life in their local communities. These promoters, representing diverse cultural, social, and professional backgrounds, have organised a wide range of activities highlighting the inclusive nature of table tennis. Their events have included intergenerational tournaments in nursing homes, virtual reality experiences for individuals with limited mobility, and collaborations with schools and disability associations, all serving to expand participation and showcase the various interpretations of diversity and inclusion across different regions.
The ITTF Foundation invites everyone to join today’s celebration, whether by hosting an event, playing a match with friends, or sharing their love for the sport online. Participants can still register their events to appear on the global celebration map and are encouraged to share highlights on social media using hashtags #WorldTableTennisDay and #TTBelongsToYou.
For more information about World Table Tennis Day events around the world or to register your own celebration, visit ITTF Foundation Website.