Following the resounding success of Singapore Smash in March, Budapest will become the second pillar of the new WTT Series as the Hungarian capital will host the next WTT Grand Smash in July this year.
Budapest Smash will take place from 11 to 24 July at the BOK Hall in the heart of Budapest. In collaboration with the Hungarian Table Tennis Association and WTT, this event will be staged as an exuberant festival which will become the unmissable summer rendezvous for the people of Hungary and for all European eventgoers.
WTT continues its mission to redefine, re-imagine and re-energise table tennis across the world. The first-ever WTT Grand Smash in March in Singapore marked the start of a brand new legacy for table tennis. The event’s rousing success – including on television and digital platforms – was yet another evidence that the sport has entered a new era.
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Now, for the first time, WTT is bringing one of its marquee events to Europe. “To have a Smash, the marquee event of our new series, in Europe where table tennis was born was a huge priority for all of us and to have it in Hungary, a country with a huge tradition in our sport, is a great honour,” said ITTF Group CEO and WTT Director Steve Dainton. “Budapest Smash will be a showcase leading to even more world-class events in this region. Budapest is a superb city in the centre of Europe. We will prepare an impressive show, merging sport and entertainment, to offer European fans and spectators a fresh and dynamic experience.
The event main draw (15-24 July) will consist of a 64-player draw for the Singles events (men and women), a 24-pair draw for Men’s and Women’s Doubles, and a 16-pair draw for Mixed Doubles. The Singles events will be preceded by a 64-Draw qualifying competition (11-13 July). All champions will receive 2,000 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Points.
The world’s best stars will compete for a prize pool of USD2,000,000. Budapest Smash, like all WTT events, offers equal prize money, and the men’s and women’s singles champions will each walk away with a winner’s cheque of USD100,000, while players who lose in the opening rounds will share in more than 40% of the prize money on offer.
Roland Natran, President of the Hungarian Table Tennis Association and Executive Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation, commented, “We are proud and excited. Hungary has a storied tradition of table tennis and we are honoured our country becomes the host of one of the Grand Smashes. We will deliver a fantastic event and I am already inviting the fans from Europe and beyond to come to Budapest in July for an unforgettable table tennis holiday.”
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Grand Smashes have their own unique branding to celebrate their hosts. Situated in the heart of Central Europe, Budapest has a rich history, unparalleled architectural and cultural heritage. The logo of Budapest Smash depicts the Hungarian Parliament building, the Heroes’ Square column, the St. István’s Basilica and the Chain Bridge in the green shade of the Hungarian flag.
Members of the media who would like to attend and report on the Budapest Smash will have to complete the media accreditation process. Apply here now.
WTT also unveiled additional events in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe during the second part of its 2022 calendar, featuring the first-ever planned WTT Champions events in August in the United States of America.
WTT Champions, individual men’s and women’s, events are WTT’s premier events designed for the world’s best 32 players delivering wowing action for fans. Both these events will be held as a combined WTT Champions event offering fans double the action and excitement as players compete for 1000 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking points.
Less than nine months after the successful World Championships held in Houston, Texas, and after hosting two WTT Feeder events in the states of New York and California earlier this month, professional Table tennis continues building its legacy in the United States of America.
WTT also announced four WTT Contender events. Zagreb, Croatia, and Lima, Peru, who will host an event each during the week of 13 June, showcasing the talent of the highest-ranked athletes in singles and doubles competitions. Tunisia returns for the second edition of WTT Contender Tunis, scheduled for the first week of August. The fourth event will take place during the week of 31 October, in Novo Gorica, Slovenia, continuing on from Slovenia hosting an event in Lasko in 2021.
A WTT Star Contender is also planned in Central Asia in early September.
“We are committed to building a WTT playing pyramid that provides opportunities for our players to shine around the world,” said WTT Managing Director Matt Pound. “This is an exciting list with the ultimate objective of making table tennis stronger, more attractive, and more global.”
WTT has developed a modern event structure establishing a straightforward journey from Day 1 to World Number 1. WTT Champions, WTT Star Contender and WTT Contender events are part of the WTT Series, the upper echelon of WTT’s pyramid of events, featuring the sport’s best and up-and-coming table tennis players. Below is the Feeder Series, a critical tier designed for elevating grassroots talent to global stars.
The WTT Feeder Series also provides a “safety net” for players formerly of the upper echelons who fall out of form, return from career breaks, or recover from injury. It also provides an additional and valuable opportunity for Member Associations to host events and assist the transition of their players to elite levels.
Three WTT Feeder Series events are scheduled between June and August, in Otocec, Slovenia, Olomouc, Czech Republic, and Panagyurishte, Bulgaria, with respective prize money of USD 30,000, USD 40,000 and USD 40,000. Hosts of ITTF events in the past, it is the first time these European cities will welcome WTT Feeder Series events.
Finally, more than 20 WTT Youth Series events are planned from May until the end of the year in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.