| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Table tennis |
| Established | 2017 |
| Administrator | European Table Tennis Union |
Tournament format(s) | Singles: Groups/Knockout Doubles: Knockout |
| Participants | 56 men; 56 women |
The European Under-21 Championships is an annual table tennis tournament organised under the authority of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU). [1] The introduction of the event to the table tennis calendar was approved at the ETTU Congress in 2015, with the first competition held in Sochi, Russia, in February 2017. [2]
| Edition | Year | Host City | Country | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2017 | Sochi |  Russia | 4 |
| 2 | 2018 | Minsk |  Belarus | 4 |
| 3 | 2019 | Gondomar |  Portugal | 4 |
| 4 | 2020 | Varaždin |  Croatia | 5 |
| 5 | 2021 | Spa |  Belgium | 5 |
| 6 | 2022 | Cluj-Napoca |  Romania | 5 |
| 7 | 2023 | Sarajevo |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 |
| 8 | 2024 | Skopje |  North Macedonia | 5 |
Table tennis is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of two, players take alternating turns returning a light, hollow ball over the table's net onto the opposing half of the court using small rackets until they fail to do so, which results in a point for the opponent. Play is fast, requiring quick reaction and constant attention, and is characterized by an emphasis on spin relative to other ball sports, which can heavily affect the ball's trajectory.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for all national table tennis associations. The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis Championships that has continued since 1926.
Timo Boll is a German professional table tennis player, who currently plays for Borussia Düsseldorf. He is currently ranked 45th in the ITTF world rankings as of January 2024. Boll is the most successful German table tennis player of all time, having won several medals at Olympic Games, world cups, and world championships. He was ranked world No. 1 in 2003, 2011 and in March 2018.
Igor Yevgenyevich Levitin is a Russian political figure, Aide to the President of the Russian Federation since September 2013, and Class 1 Active State Advisor of the Russian Federation (2013). He previously served as the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. He is the Chairman of Supervisory Board of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia. He is also a member of the President Advisory Council at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and president of European Table Tennis Union until March 2022 when he stepped down temporarily due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov or Dmytro Ovtcharov is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player. His father Mikhail, a Soviet table tennis champion in 1982, moved his family to Germany shortly after Dimitrij was born.
The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognised for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organisation of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.
The Europe Top 16, also known as the Europe Top 16 Cup and previously known as the Europe Top 12, is a table tennis tournament organised annually by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), featuring the highest-ranked players in Europe.
The European Table Tennis Championships is an international table tennis competition for the national teams of the member associations of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU). First held in 1958, the ETTU organised the European Championships every two years in even-numbered years until 2002, when they changed to odd-numbered years. Since 2007, the competition has been contested annually.
Melek Hu, born Hou Meiling 27 January 1989, Shenyang) is a Chinese-born Turkish table tennis player. She has played for Fenerbahçe TT since 2007 and also played for An Gang in China. She has won European championships in the mixed (2010), double (2015) and single (2016) events.
Marcos André Sousa da Silva Freitas is a Portuguese table tennis player who won European Championships medals in singles, doubles, and team events. He represented Portugal four times at the Summer Olympics.
Andrej Gaćina is a male table tennis player from Croatia. Since 2007, he has won two medals in doubles and team events in the Table Tennis European Championships.
Panagiotis Gionis is a Greek table tennis player and a dentist. He is a member in the Greece National Team and has competed in 4 Olympics and many World and European Championships. He has been playing professionally in Germany and France since 2001. Currently, he is playing for Greek club Panathinaikos, German club Borussia Düsseldorf and is being sponsored by TAMASU BUTTERFLY.
João Pedro Ferreiro Geraldo is a Portuguese table tennis player from Mirandela, who currently plays for German club TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen and Greek club Panathinaikos. Together with Tiago Apolónia and Marcos Freitas, he won the gold medal in the men's team competition at the 2014 European Table Tennis Championships and at the inaugural European Games with Tiago Apolonia and Marcos Freitas.
The Jersey Table Tennis Association was established in 1923 and is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Jersey. The organisation has been affiliated to the ITTF since 1935.
Tomislav Pucar is a Croatian table tennis player. In February 2017 he won the men's singles title at the inaugural European Under-21 Championships in Sochi.
Patrick Franziska is a German table tennis player. He is currently sponsored by Butterfly and plays with FC Saarbrücken-TT in the German Bundesliga (TTBL).
The 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships were held in Busan, South Korea from 16 to 25 February 2024. Quarterfinalists of the event qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Darko Jorgić is a Slovenian table tennis player. He represented his country at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and won three Europe Top-16 Championships.
Adina Mihaela Diaconu is a Romanian table tennis player.
Dang Qiu is a German professional table tennis player. He is the first German-born national player playing the penhold grip style, in particular the modern two-sided penhold grip which allows him to play the reverse penhold backhand. In 2022 and at his first participation of a European Table Tennis Championships, he won the men's single title on first attempt.
