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European Championships
The European Championships are the premier table tennis tournament in Europe.
Get all the details and results here
By Martin Hughes
Owner and Editor
The European Table Tennis Championships first took place in 1958 in Hungary.
Initially it was a biennial event, but since 2007 it's been held every year.
However, in February 2010 it was decided that, starting in 2011, the team events would only be played in alternate years.
So the individual events were played every year during September or October and, in odd numbered years, were supplemented by the team events.
But from 2016 onwards, there was another change.
In even years the European Championships will now only consist of the individual events (including Mixed Doubles) and in the uneven years it will be a Team event only.
For the team events, there will be a series of qualification matches, where member associations play home and away matches.
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But who organises the competition?
The European Table Tennis Union
The European Championships are organised each year by one member Association of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU).
The ETTU is the governing body for table tennis in Europe.
Set up in 1957, they are the only authority recognised by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) for governing and developing table tennis in Europe.
According to the latest information, more than 4 million people are playing competition table tennis in the territory controlled by the ETTU. And with its 58 Member Associations, the ETTU is the largest of the 6 Continental Table Tennis Federations recognised by the ITTF.
Submit bids
Any Association wishing to organise the Championships must send a written application to the General Secretary of the ETTU.
This written application must include all the details of how and where it would be organised, and be followed-up by a presentation to the ETTU Executive Board.
The Executive Board, together with the chairman of the Technical Committee, will then appoint the organising Association, after the evaluation of their presentation.
A contract will the be drawn up between the ETTU and the Host Association which must be signed no later than 18 months before the start of the event.
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But how did it all start?
History of the ETTU
In 1956, following a decision by the ITTF to hold the World Table Tennis Championships biennially after the 1957 World Championships in Stockholm, the ITTF invited the European Table Tennis Associations to consider the possibility of holding European Table Tennis Championships in the intervening alternate (even) years.
After several meetings between representatives of European Associations, it was on 13th March 1957 that the European Table Tennis Union was set up by the following Associations:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
- Finland
- France
- German Democratic Republic
- Federal Republic of Germany
- Hungary
- Luxembourg
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
- Soviet Union
- Wales
- Yugoslavia
A board of seven people were elected to organise the first European Championships, and the Hungarian Association offered to hold it in Budapest in 1958.
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So where have all the European Championships taken place since 1958?
Where and When
Here's a list of where the European Championships have taken place...
| YEAR | CITY (COUNTRY) |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Budapest (Hungary) |
| 1960 | Zagreb (Yugoslavia) |
| 1962 | Berlin (Federal Republic of Germany) |
| 1964 | Malmo (Sweden) |
| 1966 | London (England) |
| 1968 | Lyon (France) |
| 1970 | Moscow (Soviet Union) |
| 1972 | Rotterdam (Netherlands) |
| 1974 | Novi Sad (Yugoslavia) |
| 1976 | Prague (Czechoslovakia) |
| 1978 | Duisburg (Federal Republic of Germany) |
| 1980 | Bern (Switzerland) |
| 1982 | Budapest (Hungary) |
| 1984 | Moscow (Soviet Union) |
| 1986 | Prague (Czechoslovakia) |
| 1988 | Paris (France) |
| 1990 | Gothenburg (Sweden) |
| 1992 | Stuttgart (Germany) |
| 1994 | Birmingham (England) |
| 1996 | Bratislava (Slovakia) |
| 1998 | Eindhoven (Netherlands) |
| 2000 | Bremen (Germany) |
| 2002 | Zagreb (Croatia) |
| 2003 | Courmayeur (Italy) |
| 2005 | Aarhus (Denmark) |
| 2007 | Belgrade (Serbia) |
| 2008 | St. Petersburg (Russia) |
| 2009 | Stuttgart (Germany) |
| 2010 | Ostrava (Czech Republic) |
| 2011 | Gdansk-Sopot (Poland) |
| 2012 | Herning (Denmark) |
| 2013 | Schwechat (Austria) |
| 2014 | Lisbon (Portugal) |
| 2015 | Ekaterinburg (Russia) |
| 2016 | Budapest (Hungary) |
| 2017 | Luxembourg (Luxembourg) |
| 2018 | Alicante (Spain) |
| 2019 | Nantes (France) |
| 2020/21 | Warsaw (Poland) |
| 2022 | Munich (Germany) |
The 2022 European Table Tennis Championships will take place from 13-21 August 2022 in Munich, Germany.
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So what events are included in the European Championships?
Events included
The European Championship events are...
Even numbered years
- Men's Singles
- Women's Singles
- Men's Doubles
- Women's Doubles
- Mixed Doubles
Odd numbered years
- Men's Team
- Women's Team
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And what is the format of the events?
Format of events
Individual Events...
Individual events are played in groups of not less than 4 players during the qualification stage, followed by a knock-out competition.
Matches in individual events are the best of 7 games, except for the qualification rounds of the singles and doubles events up to the quarter-finals, which are the best of 5 games.
There are a maximum 64 places in the first round proper of the singles events and not more than 32 places in the first round proper of men's and women's doubles events.
Team Events...
In the period between two European Team Championships, a round-robin competition will take place.
22 teams will join the holders of the title together with the host nation, at the finals.
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And there is a limit on...
Numbers
An Association can only enter one team in each team event and they can enter up to 5 players in a men's team and up to 5 players in a women's team.
For the individual events the organising Association can enter up to 16 players, consisting of not more than 10 men and not more than 10 women.
Any other Association can enter up to 12 players, consisting of not more than 7 men and not more than 7 women.
Within these limits different players can be entered for the team events and for the singles and doubles.
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Are the events seeded?
Seeding
Seeding for individual events will be based on the last World Ranking List published before the European Championships.
Seeding for doubles events will be based on a seeding list prepared by the Ranking Committee.
Seeding for team events will be based on the final positions in the previous event.
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So who has won at the previous European Championships?
Previous Championships Results
Follow the links below for the results from previous European Championships...
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