As the world unites to celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is doubling down on its commitment to gender equality, in line with this year’s campaign theme “Accelerate Action“, ensuring all women and girls have equal access to opportunities in table tennis.
From boosting female participation to ensuring equal prize money, raising the next generation of female coaches and investing in leadership pathways, ITTF continues to drive change at an accelerated pace.
Increasing Female Participation in All ITTF Programmes
Over the past two years, ITTF’s development projects have significantly increased female representation in key areas:
These figures reflect a focused, results-driven approach to breaking barriers and ensuring women and girls have equal access to table tennis worldwide.
Equal Prize Money: 20 Years of Progress
For the 20th consecutive season, ITTF remains one of the few international federations to guarantee equal prize money for men and women across all events. This milestone reinforces ITTF’s commitment to fairness and equality, ensuring that female players receive the same recognition and financial rewards as their male counterparts.
ITTF Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (GEDI) Action Plan
ITTF’s GEDI Action Plan is built on six strategic goals, driving impactful change in governance, investment, role models, and protection from violence.
- Promoting women’s leadership & governance
- Preventing & responding to gender-based violence in sport
- Closing the investment gap in women’s sport
- Championing positive role models & bias-free representation
- Supporting equal opportunities for girls in sport
- Monitoring & measuring progress
The GEDI Action Plan is already delivering clear and measurable advancements. ITTF has also signed the UN Women Sports for Generation Equality Framework, which aims to harness the transformative power of sport to challenge societal norms and drive sustainable development outcomes that positively impact the lives of women and girls every day.
My Gender, My Strength: Empowering Female Coaches
Recognising the gender gap in coaching, ITTF is accelerating its efforts to develop female coaches worldwide through the “My Gender, My Strength” programme. This initiative provides:
Since its launch in 2023, the programme has supported 14 female coaches, with an additional 20 coaches benefiting in 2024—demonstrating clear momentum and accelerated progress.
By investing in coaching development, ITTF is strengthening a diverse and inclusive leadership pipeline, ensuring that women play a pivotal role in shaping the future of table tennis.
Accelerating Action for a More Inclusive Future
By accelerating action in participation, leadership, investment, and governance, ITTF is forging a path where every woman and girl in table tennis has an equal chance to succeed.
ITTF President Petra Sörling emphasised the federation’s commitment to driving meaningful change: “Gender equality is not just an ambition; it is a responsibility. At ITTF, we are accelerating action to ensure that all woman and girl has the opportunity to thrive in table tennis—whether as a player, coach, official, or leader. We are building a sport that truly belongs to everyone.
ITTF