'Small ping pong table' a bridge between China and Europe
An introductory video about the CTTC-E.
Citizens of Luxembourg have been invited to visit Shanghai to experience Chinese culture and enjoy the vigor of the city.
The invitation was extended by Hua Ning, China's ambassador to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, at an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the European branch of the Chinese Table Tennis College of Shanghai University of Sport, known as Chinese Table Tennis College-Europe (CTTC-E), in Luxembourg.
A video about Shanghai was played to show the "open, innovative and inclusive" city and its latest developments.
Maurice Bauer, an alderman of the City of Luxembourg, praised Shanghai for its operation efficiency and said he wished for more exchanges and cooperation.
Olympic champions Zhang Yining and Yan Sen were given "excellent coaches" awards.
A professional training camp was also launched, attracting more than 40 young players, aged 15-17, from 14 countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, to participate and prepare for recent international competitions under the International Table Tennis Federation.
The camp features a coaching lineup that includes Olympic champions Zhang Yining and Yan Sen, and Chinese Table Tennis College coach Zheng Chaoying, along with students from Shanghai University of Sport and top-level Chinese players.
Trainees will receive a special gift kit from Shanghai, which includes Shanghai-themed fridge magnets and badges.
Luxembourg player Enisa Sadikovic said she had taken part in five previous camps and said they were acclaimed among European athletes.
She said Shanghai was a hotspot for table tennis and she wished to visit the city to experience its sports culture.
Guluzade Onur, from Azerbaijan, has taken part in training camps at the Chinese Table Tennis College in Shanghai and its European branch. He said he was looking forward to coming to Shanghai again to improve his skills and to learn more about the city.
More than 40 young professional athletes from 14 countries played at the event.
Established in 2014 under the co-efforts of the China Table Tennis Association, the Luxembourg Ministry of Sport, and other related departments, CTTC-E has become an important channel for exchanges and cooperation between China and Luxembourg.
So far, the branch has organized 25 international table tennis training camps and coaches' workshops, attracting more than 2,000 coaches and players from Europe and the rest of the world.
Working closely with the International Table Tennis Federation, it has hosted several important global events such as the Rough Diamonds camps.
"A small ping pong table connects China at one end and the world at the other, building a bridge of friendship between China and Europe," said Shi Zhihao, chairman of the CTTC-E board.
Ambassador Hua praised CTTC-E for its contributions to promoting communication and exchanges between China and Luxembourg and sports development in the two countries and expressed his wish that the institution will continue to inject new force into the development of the sport and international exchanges.
"I hope that in the next 10 years, Luxembourg and China, connected by the small ball, will carry out more exchanges and cooperation, "said François Knaff, Luxembourg's deputy minister of sport.
