China News Service, Shanghai, October 20 (Reporter Miao Lu) The opening ceremony of the 2026 World Table Tennis Health Carnival was held on the 20th at the Huo Yingdong Sports Center of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. With the theme of "Table Tennis Brings the World Together, Health for the Future", this year's Table Tennis Health Carnival includes two core events: the 2026 World Alzheimer's Table Tennis Championships and the 2026 World Parkinson's Table Tennis Championships, as well as an academic seminar - the 2026 World Table Tennis Health Conference, attracting a total of 226 athletes from 24 countries and regions.
The World Table Tennis Health Carnival is an important platform that the ITTF Foundation has been working on for many years to promote the two-way empowerment of table tennis and health. It is also an international table tennis health brand created globally focusing on patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. This year coincides with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the International Table Tennis Federation, and this benchmark health event is also in Asia for the first time.
Athletes will compete in multiple events including singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and consolation matches during the five-day tournament. They will use their racket swings to break the label of disease and convey to the world the powerful power of "sports empowers health."
Petra Solin, President of the International Table Tennis Federation, said that bringing the carnival to China is of particularly far-reaching significance. "In a country where table tennis is deeply integrated into the local culture and inspires generations of Chinese people, we are able to demonstrate another value of the sport, protect public health, enhance people's livelihood and well-being, and build interpersonal connections. It is an honor to bring this dynamic and healthy sport to Shanghai and jointly witness the unique value of table tennis outside the competitive arena."
It is no coincidence that the World Table Tennis Health Carnival has landed in Shanghai. Behind this is the profound soil accumulated by Shanghai's continuous efforts to promote the construction of "Healthy China" and deepen the practice of "integration of sports and medicine" over the years. The Shanghai "Table Tennis Match" Parkinson's table tennis charity project initiated by ITTF Lifetime Honorary Chairman Xu Yinsheng and promoted by Wang Liqin, Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, has already taken root in Shanghai. From regular theme forums and popular science lectures to the continuous holding of municipal and national Parkinson's table tennis special events, adhering to the core concept of "using the ball to strengthen the body, using the ball to heal the mind, and using the ball to connect friends", this project has become the first public welfare model in the country to systematically explore table tennis to help Parkinson's patients recover.
On October 20, the opening ceremony of the 2026 World Table Tennis Health Carnival was held. The picture shows Petra Sorin (first from left), President of the International Table Tennis Federation, visiting the charity exhibition.
On the eve of the opening, Petra Solin also made a special trip to the Zhoujiaqiao Street Community Citizen Fitness Center to visit the daily table tennis training scenes of Parkinson's patients and spoke highly of Shanghai's local table tennis health care practice. "It was because we noticed the 'Ping Pong Match' event that we decided to bring the carnival to Shanghai. This is an important and excellent decision. The carnival went out of Europe and came to Asia for the first time. This year, the number of participants attracted a record high, which means that we can help more people through table tennis."
Outside the event, there is also an interesting table tennis interactive area open to all citizens, a public welfare painting exhibition, and 8 health-themed game stations. Regardless of age or athletic ability, ordinary citizens can step onto the table to experience the table tennis and intuitively feel the joy of table tennis health and wellness.
One of the core tasks of this carnival is to accumulate knowledge results that can continue to exert value after the event is over. 64 coaches from all provinces across the country participated in the capacity-building project and learned how to use table tennis to provide intervention services for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Cultivating local professional forces and building a network of trained coaches are important achievements of this carnival, which will help the sustainable development of this healthy sport in communities across China.
The organizers also simultaneously launched the event legacy donation plan, announcing that some of the game-specific facilities will be donated to relevant institutions after the game to be used for regular table tennis rehabilitation training for special groups, so that the resource value of international events can be transformed into health services for ordinary citizens and have long-term effects at the grassroots level in the city.
Wang Liqin said that this event is very different from traditional competitive events. It not only compares the competitive level of table tennis, but more importantly, through such events, it allows the whole society to pay attention to these special groups. He hopes that through the holding of these events, he can further explore the good experiences and practices of table tennis in promoting health. "In the future, we will work with professionals to conduct further research on how to improve their conditions through table tennis. In addition, we are also actively strengthening communication with these groups to understand what difficulties and needs they have in table tennis fitness exercises."
