The application process for the 2025 cohort is open, and Member Associations have been invited to propose two youth athletes, one boy and one girl for the 2025 Continental Youth Grants and four PTT athletes for the 2024 Para Table Tennis Athlete Grant, preferably 2 men and 2 women that they would wish to benefit from the incentives. To learn more about eligibility and application requirements, kindly contact your respective ITTF Member Association.
Continental Youth Grants
ITTF aims to assist Member Associations by contributing to athletes’ training and participation in international youth events, with a particular focus on the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. In 2025, the Youth Grants have seen an increase in support, with each selected athlete now eligible for up to US$ 2,500 in funding. This grant will contribute to their participation in the WTT Youth Event Series or Training Camps, covering official hospitality, 50% of airfare costs, and providing two sets of high-quality table tennis rubbers, ensuring they have the necessary resources to compete at their best.
In 2024, 47 athletes were aided in their training and involvement in global events: 35 athletes from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania through the Continental Youth Grants, and 12 athletes who received scholarships initiative as a component of the European Development Program.
The achievements of Youth Grant recipients in 2024 WTT Youth Contender events were astonishing, USA’s Sally Moyland, a 2024 Grant holder with current world youth ranking #28, continued to shine, just recently securing gold in the U17 and U19 category event at the WTT Youth Contender San Francisco. Steven Moreno (PUR) had a stellar run, claiming gold in the U19 event at the WTT Youth Contender Rionegro, silver in the U17 event in Buenos Aires, and above all becoming the U15 champion at the 2024 ITTF Pan American Youth Championships in Lima, Peru. On the other hand, Brazil’s Leonardo Iizuka won the U19 event at the same competition and came second in the U19 category at the WTT Youth Contender Santiago. Colombia’s athlete Mariana Rodriguez finished strong with a gold medal in the U15 girls’ event in the WTT Youth Contender Rionegro, and silver in the same category of the WTT Youth Contender Cuenca.
In Africa, Egypt’s Moustafa Badr triumphed with a gold medal in the U19 boys’ event at the WTT Youth Contender Ismailia, while Algeria’s Tania Morice earned silver in the U15 girls’ category at the same event. Yara ElBadawy earned a silver medal at the WTT Youth Contender Benghazi (LBA) and at the ITTF African Youth Championships in Gaborone (BOT).
Asia saw a dominant display from Iran’s Benjamin Faraji, who collected multiple medals, including gold in the U19 event at the WTT Youth Contender Sarajevo and U17 in Antalya, alongside silver finishes in Beirut and Dubai. Hong Kong’s Su Tsz Tung showcased her versatility with a gold in the U15 category at the WTT Youth Star Contender Singapore, alongside multiple silver medals in the WTT Youth Contenders in Bangkok, Vientiane, and Tunis. Yoshiyama Kazuki (JPN) also made a mark, securing gold in the U17 events at WTT Youth Contender Berlin and Havirov. Alan Kurmangaliyez from Kazakhstan, current #10 at the World Youth Ranking secured 3 gold medals in the U19 WTT Youth Contender Dammam and the categories U17 & U19 in Beirut.
In Oceania, Australia’s Won Bae took gold in the U17 event at the WTT Youth Contender San Francisco II and won the 2024 ITTF Oceania Youth Championships in Melbourne (AUS), while New Zealand’s August Xiao emerged victorious in the U15 category at the ITTF Oceania Youth Championships.
Europe saw strong performances from France’s Nina Guo Zheng, who secured multiple gold medals, including at the U15 category of the WTT Youth Star Contender Lima, the WTT Youth Contender Tunis, and the U19 event of WTT Youth Star Contender Metz. Her compatriot Leana Hochart secured 4 gold medals in the WTT Youth Contenders of Lignano, Wladyslawowo, and Metz. Germany’s Josephina Neumann also impressed with a win of the U17 event at the WTT Youth Contender Szombathely and reaching the quarterfinal at the 2024 ITTF World Youth Championships, Helsingborg (SWE). Italy’s Danilo Faso, claimed double gold in the U15 events at Helsingborg and Linz, while Tiago Abiodun (POR) dominated with 3 gold medals in Spa and Platja D’Aro and recently in Linz this year. Both athletes were also supported through the ITTF’s With The Future In Mind scholarship program. Hanka Kodet (CZE) had a strong performance with 3 gold medals in the U15 girls category of the WTT Youth Contenders Berlin and Vila Real and triumphed in the 2024 European Youth Championships Malmo (SWE) in U15 category.
The selection of the 2025 beneficiaries runs through an online application process and follows specific criteria such as the latest Youth World Ranking (week of the application deadline), athletes’ participation and performance in the events in 2024 and the athlete’s training and competition plan for 2025.
PTT Athlete Grants
The ITTF Para Table Tennis (PTT) Athlete Grant aims to provide dedicated support to promising and talented PTT athletes worldwide, empowering them to excel in training and competition. The initiative aims to improve training routines, elevate performance standards, and promote greater involvement in significant World Para Circuit competitions and global training camps throughout 2025.
In 2024, 18 PTT athletes (9 female and 9 male) from 14 MAs were selected to benefit from the grant.
The 2024 ITTF PTT Grant recipients delivered remarkable performances on the international stage, with Natsuki Wada (JPN, Class 11) achieving the pinnacle of success by securing gold in the Women’s Singles Class 11 at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Her triumph on the biggest stage highlighted her exceptional talent and dedication. Alongside her Paralympic victory, she also claimed silver in the Women’s Singles at both the New Taipei City Para Open 2024 and the Slovenia Para Open 2024, further showcasing her consistency. Other grant holders also excelled in key events, including Kazuki Shichino (JPN, Class 4), who emerged victorious at the Czech Para Open 2024 with a gold medal in Men’s Singles Class 4. Dinesh Don Silva (SRL, Class 9) claimed gold in Men’s Singles and Doubles at the Al Watani Para Open 2024, gold in Men’s doubles class 18 in New Taipei City Para Open 2024 along with a silver medal in Men’s Singles Class 9 at the Thailand Para Open 2024.
Faith Obazuaye (NGR, Class 10), participant of the Tokyo and Paris Paralympic Games, displayed her talent at the ITTF Value Jet Lagos Para Open 2024, winning three gold medals in the Women’s Singles Class 9-10, Women’s Doubles Class 20, and Mixed Doubles Class 20. Brazil’s Lucas Carvalhal (Class 5) impressed with silver in Mixed Doubles Class 10 and bronze in Men’s Singles Class 5 at the ITTF Montenegro Para Championship, followed by a gold medal in Mixed Doubles Class 10 at the Costa Brava Spanish Para Open. Allana Maschio (BRA, Class 9) also shone bright, earning silver and gold in Women’s Singles and Doubles at the ITTF Copa Tango Para Open, before securing another gold in Women’s Singles Class 9 at the Brazilian Para Open 2024. Mohammaderfan Gholami (IRI, Class 9) added to the list with a bronze medal in Men’s Singles Class 9 at the ITTF Value Jet Lagos Para Open 2024, while Samuel Altshuler (USA, Class 6) also made his mark with silver in Men’s Singles Class 6 at the Brazilian Para Open 2024, rounding out a successful year for the grant holders.
Following an impactful year in 2024, ITTF increased the support in 2025 for each athlete to up to US$1500. The selection of athletes will be run through an online application process following specific criteria like the PTT World Ranking, PTT athletes’ performance at ITTF-sanctioned events in 2024, and will be considering their 2025 activity plan that needs to be submitted as part of the application process.
