Following the success of youth football tournaments in India, a premier U-15 table tennis championship is set to make its debut.

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The tournament will feature 30 male and 30 female players from across India, selected based on their national rankings. It will provide a platform for young paddlers between 11-14 years to showcase their talent and gain competitive experience. In a bid to offer early international exposure, the championship will also welcome 12 athletes from six international federations—Sweden, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Kazakhstan.

Highlighting the importance of global exposure, the event aims to enhance athlete development by offering opportunities to compete against international players. The tournament also focuses on fostering best practices through expert-led workshops and masterclasses. The Dream Sports Championship Table Tennis 2025, supported by the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), will be held from March 17 to 22 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

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Sharath, Massimo to be mentors

Indian table tennis icon Sharath Kamal, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sreeja Akula, and Indian National Team Coach Massimo Costantini will lead sessions alongside elite coaches Chris Pfeiffer and Deepak Malik. These sessions will cover areas like sports science, game strategy, fitness, and technology-driven performance analysis.

Kamlesh Mehta, general secretary of the Table Tennis Federation of India, emphasised the importance of this initiative, saying, "This championship is a significant step in creating a platform for India’s future table tennis stars. Competing with both national and international talent will help young athletes develop their skills, while expert-led masterclasses and analytics-based interventions will further support their growth."

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The championship will unfold in a structured format, including group stages, super league, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals. Players will be grouped into six pools per category, with each group featuring an international athlete.