European Games Hat Trick For Table Tennis as it Signs On for 2023 Edition

17 June 2021

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) is pleased to announce the inclusion of table tennis on the programme for the European Games Krakow-Malopolska 2023, marking the third straight Games appearance for the Olympic sport.

The signing of table tennis brings the total number of sports so far for 2023 to 18.

The 152 table tennis players who will be in Poland for the Games will have their eyes firmly set on Paris 2024, as the European Games will offer Olympic qualification opportunities, as it has done in the past. With the European Table Tennis Championships about to get under way in Warsaw (22-27 June), the popularly of the sport in Poland is undeniable and its inclusion at the 2023 European Games is sure to be popular with local fans.

"We are extremely happy that table tennis has once again been included as part of the prestigious European Games," said European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) President Igor Levitin (RUS). "We are looking forward to watching our best athletes to compete in Poland and to continuing our cooperation with the EOC in the interests of further developing European table tennis."

Newly elected EOC President Spyros Capralos (GRE) was delighted to welcome another strong Olympic sport back to the European Games. "This is the first sport that I am able to announce since becoming EOC President, which is a huge honour for me. Having led the Coordination Commission for the first two editions of the Games, I can say that table tennis has not only proven itself as a hugely popular sport in Europe but worldwide. Importantly, the leadership at the ETTU shares our vision for the future of the Games. By offering Olympic qualification places, the ETTU is giving the best athletes in Europe a perfect platform to compete in the leading multi-sport event as a springboard to Paris 2024."

Chair of the European Games Coordination Commission Hasan Arat (TUR) was also pleased to see table tennis returning for a third time. "Table tennis was already included on the list of preliminary sports which were announced at the end of 2020, and we are extremely happy that we have now been able to reach an agreement with the ETTU and officially welcome them as part of the programme for the 2023 edition."

The European Games are the continent’s premier multisport event for elite athletes and are held every four years. Table tennis is the 18th sport to be announced for the Games in Kraków-Małopolska and joins 3×3 basketball, archery, badminton, beach handball, boxing, canoe, cycling, karate, modern pentathlon, muaythai, padel, shooting, ski jumping, sports climbing, taekwondo, teqball and triathlon as sports already on the 2023 programme.

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