Table Tennis for Development handbook

a poster advertises the table tennis for development initiative

ITTF Foundation, in partnership with Pro Sport Development and in collaboration with GIZ, have launched the Table Tennis for Development’ (TT4D) Handbook, demonstrating how table tennis can be used to achieve specific UN Sustainable Development Goals.

ITTF Foundation in partnership with Pro Sport Development have launched the Table Tennis for Development’ (TT4D) Handbook, as part of the collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (German Development Cooperation/GIZ on behalf of Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung/BMZ). This handbook provides content to demonstrate using table tennis to achieve specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) in local, community-level contexts.

The handbook will support TT4D practitioners in fostering positive social change and promoting the achievement of some significant UN SDGs. Key themes in the handbook aligned with UN SDGs are health and well-being, quality education, and gender equality, followed by exercises specific to achieve social inclusion and ping-pong diplomacy for conflict resolution.

This handbook provides guidance for developing table tennis-based activities, exercises, and programmes while accomplishing specified development goals for coaches, facilitators, social workers, and young leaders. It includes a selection of the exercises and training sessions practitioners linked to various remarkable grassroots initiatives in bringing desired outcomes related to peace, social integration, and economic development.

“This Table Tennis for Development handbook will enable everyone to use table tennis to drive positive outcomes in their communities. This handbook is open to the public and can be tailored to various contexts as we develop it together with our DBF initiatives spread across continents, from Latin America to Southeast Asia. We hope that all development practitioners can maximise the use of this handbook. Together we achieve positive social change in the world.” - Saurabh Mishra, ITTF Foundation Programmes Manager.

“Table tennis is not only an impressive sport, it can also improve the social competences of young people! We therefore very much appreciate the sport, and our partnership with the ITTF Foundation through which we created the TT4D handbook to support local communities and vulnerable youth in our partner countries, and increase the impact of table tennis as a tool for social development all around the world.” – Jens Elsner, GIZ, Head of Programme, Sport for Development