#TableTennisUnited Fund keeps youth motivated during pandemic

Sport is known to be one of the greatest motivators for children and youth around the world. While COVID-19 has caused huge hurdles for table tennis organisations and clubs to keep their young audience engaged, the #TableTennisUnited Fund is sending help to those in need, where the pandemic seems to have taken its toll.

Mongar Dzongkhag

Tucked between China and India, the hilly Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas values Gross National Happiness more than Gross National Product. Known for its out of the world peacefulness and serenity, the country is unfortunately not immune to the impact from COVID-19.

The pandemic made table tennis training impossible for many as the lack of playing equipment has only gotten worse as COVID-19 has spread. Children and youth who used to enjoy the fun and relaxing table tennis sessions were forced to find other activities to fill the void.

“We are delighted to have received the equipment support from the ITTF Foundation. With this donation from the #TableTennisUnited Fund, we are happy to bring the children back to the tables and are confident that the development of table tennis in Bhutan will shine like any other sport activities.” - Sonam Tshering, representative of Mongar Dzongkhag.

Offiong Edem Foundation

From playing table tennis in 1995 on her grandmother’s dinner table, Offiong Eden, the African Games' winner in 2019, has come a long way, founding the Offiong Edem Foundation to help her country and state through table tennis. Despite the goodwill, one of her 2021 programmes to empower youth through table tennis in the Niger Delta faced a rough start, due to COVID-19 restrictions and the ongoing aftermath.

We are happy to share that with the help of the #TableTennisUnited Fund, the programme went well and has benefited the children and youth in the region greatly.

“The programme went so well, and I am happy to see the children going home happily. Their excitement, energy, and the will to play was unimaginable. The success was only made possible with the #TableTennisUnited Fund. Thank you ITTF Foundation for the generous donation to our foundation. We truly appreciate your commitment to the kids in our community. We could not have done it without you!” - Offiong Edem, Olympian, Founder of Offiong Edem Foundation.

Thanks to the generosity of the 57 donors worldwide and the ITTF Group, the #TableTennisUnited Fund has so far supported 108 initiatives globally since the beginning of the pandemic. We will continue to be the backbone of the table tennis community, standing firm in our mission to spread solidarity through table tennis.