Bhubaneswar: Delegates from the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and International Table Tennis Federation Foundation met Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday.
The delegation included Petra Sorling, President, ITTF and ITTF Foundation; Leandro Olvech, Director, ITTF Foundation; Saurabh Mishra, Programme Manager, ITTF Foundation; Julia Tappendorf, Programme Coordinator, ITTF Foundation.
Sörling presented Chief Minister Patnaik the Table Tennis for Development handbook on using table tennis for social change, developed in partnership with GIZ, and Pro Sport Development India, who are running the Community Table Tennis project in Bhubaneswar, supported by the ITTF Foundation’s Dream Building Fund.
Welcoming the delegation, Chief Minister Patnaik praised the efforts of the ITTF in promoting table tennis in the state and country and assured them of all support.
The delegation expressed its delight and keenness to be in Odisha and work closely with the government and support the state’s endeavour toward the growth of table tennis. They shared that they will organise competitive events, plan the social legacy of table tennis events, and provide coach education in table tennis.
ITTF Foundation strongly supports the Chief Minister’s vision of using sports to empower and develop the youth of Odisha and to use sports as a tool to leave behind a stronger and sustainable future.
The ITTF Foundation is the ITTF Group’s sports for development body and is supporting a project in Bhubaneswar to use table tennis for gender empowerment and equality.
Chief Minister informed the delegation of the state government’s decision to set up table tennis academies in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. In addition, table tennis training centers will be set up in all the indoor halls in the state. He sought their help in coaches’ training programmes and hosting international TT events in Odisha.
The delegation expressed its gratitude to the Chief Minister for his focus on sports and his plan towards the development of TT. They appreciated the Commonwealth TT championship organised in 2019 in Cuttack and assured support to bring more such events to Odisha.
