Credit: Ievgenii Karanov, Chronicle.lu

On Saturday 5 July 2025, Special Olympics Luxembourg (SOL) held its Table Tennis National Day 2025 at the Coque in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

Organised in collaboration with the Luxembourg Table Tennis Federation (Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Tennis de Table - FLTT), the event brought together 33 participants. The youngest table tennis players were fifteen years old, while the oldest was 62, showcasing a wide age range among competitors.

Head Coach of the Special Olympics Luxembourg (SOL) table tennis team, Monique Lexis, told Chronicle.lu that this year’s edition marked an important return: That was the first time after six years we have [held] this event, and we have met together with the FLTT. An international competition with different abilities.” She added that the event brought together participants from a range of backgrounds and regions, including Parkinson Luxembourg, Dëschtennis Wentger and international guests from Germany (Rhineland-Pfalz, Darmstadt, Saarland), Belgium and France’s Moselle department. “It was a very enjoyable event because we had a lot of players, very good competitions and it’s fun for most people,” she said. “And as you have seen, everybody got medals. So it doesn’t matter if you have the first [or] last place - everybody’s happy when they go home. And that’s why we do it.”

The competition followed a format designed to ensure inclusivity and fair play for all participants, regardless of their abilities. As part of this approach, all players first took part in a "divisioning" round, during which everyone played against each other to accumulate points. As organisers noted, “we don't care which abilities” players have, the system is built to be open to everyone. Based on the results of this first round, participants were then divided into groups of similar level. In total, there were six groups of six players each, with one group made up of three players.

Tournament Results:

Group A: Thomas Tobias (WZB gGMBH) - 10 points, Hartmut Freund (TSG Reutlingen) - 9 points, Pit Theis (SOL) - 8 points, Francisco Fernandes (Parkinson) - 6 points (-5 sets), Daniel Rebele (WZB gGMBH) - 6 points (-6), Linda Rupp (WZB gGMBH) - 6 points (-7);

Group B: Michael Meisberger (WZB gGMBH) - 10 points, Tom Thines (SOL) - 9 points, Machid Jantsch (Parkinson) - 7 points (-1 set), Sabrina Junkes (WZB gGMBH) - 7 points (-2), Jens Martin (WZB gGMBH) - 7 points (-3), Daniel Reber (PTTV) - 5 points;

Group C: Werner Symolka (Parkinson) - 10 points, Benedikt Münch (PTTV) - 9 points, Kévin Jacques (APEI Moselle) - 8 points, François Goldschmit (SOL) - 7 points, Tom Wagener (DT Wëntger) - 6 points, Leo Wirtz-Becker (SOL) - 5 points;

Group D: Michel Linke (APEI Moselle) - 10 points, Pol Conter (Parkinson) - 9 points, Jean-Luc Zossong (Parkinson) - 8 points, Donato Mottola (SOL) - 7 points, Gerd Bötcher (PTTV) - 6 points, Sonja Wiscour (SOL) - 5 points;

Group E: Carlo Wertheimer (DT Wëntger) - 10 points, Fabrice Sgro (APEI Moselle) - 9 points, Filipe Freitas (Parkinson) - 8 points, Franco Sonndag (APEI Moselle) - 7 points, Andre Adam (DT Wëntger) - 6 points  Marie-Josée Meyrath (SOL) - 5 points;

Group F: Elise Georges (SOL) - 4 points, Andreas Hartkorn (PTTV) - 3 points, Tony Rebboh (APEI Moselle) - 2 points.