By Sagar V. Mankar The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced its entry into competitive esports with the launch of the ITTF World Esports Table Tennis Championships 2024.
For this, the ITTF has partnered with For Fun Labs Inc., the developers of the popular virtual reality (VR) game Eleven Table Tennis. This game was previously featured as an exhibition sport during the first-ever Olympic Esports Week, held in Singapore from 22 to 25 June 2023.
Set to take place between October and November 2024, the event is open to all genders and will be free to enter.
The competition will unfold in two thrilling phases:
- Online Qualifying Stage: From 14 October to 17 November 2024, players from all over the world can participate in this stage. The top two competitors from the Online Qualifying Stage will move on to the next phase. Interested players must register by 13 October to join.
- Finals: The final stage will be held on 27-28 November 2024 at the Helsingborg Arena in Sweden. Here, eight of the best players will compete for the prestigious title. The finalists will include the top two players from the Online Qualifying Stage, the two highest-ranked Eleven Table Tennis players, a representative from Sweden (the host country), and three wildcard entries.
Note: Eleven Table Tennis is a VR table tennis game that is available on multiple platforms, including Steam, Pico, and Oculus. The game received positive reviews, with GamesRadar+ describing it as a “super realistic table tennis simulator”.
ITTF President and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Petra Sörling expressed her excitement about this new venture, saying, “This marks a new era for the ITTF. As the digital revolution unfolds, it’s our mission and responsibility to stay ahead of the curve. By embracing esports and innovation, we’re not just adapting – we’re setting the standard for the future of table tennis and ensuring our sport remains at the forefront.”
Sörling also noted the influence of the successful Olympic Esports Week and the upcoming Olympic Esports Games in 2025, which have motivated the ITTF to accelerate its efforts in the esports arena.
Last month, Wimbledon also entered the tennis esports arena, with Brad Zellman becoming the first-ever Wimbledon Esports Champion. This tournament was played on the console game TopSpin 2K25.