ITTF Equipment Assistance Programme Opens Applications for Member Associations in 2026

The ITTF opened applications for its Equipment Assistance Programme 2026 on March 18, giving member associations until April 17 to submit for a share of customised equipment packages covering tables, surrounds, rackets and balls.

All ITTF member associations are eligible to apply, though priority will go to Category 3 and 4 associations. Selection will be based on three criteria: governance, development activity, and competition plans. Associations that make the cut receive packages tailored to their specific needs rather than a one-size-fits-all allocation.

The 2025 edition gives a clear picture of what the programme actually delivers at scale. Eighteen associations across Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania received support last year, with additional deliveries still in transit at the time of reporting. The distributed inventory included 148 tables, 130 surrounds, 1,500 rackets and more than 20,000 balls. That equipment went toward grassroots development, school programmes and national team activities across four continents.

Those 2025 numbers sit within a much longer track record. Since the programme launched in 1999, the ITTF has put over 1,000 tables into 112 member associations worldwide. For federations in developing regions, where access to quality equipment is one of the most concrete barriers to growing the sport, that supply line has been consequential.

The 2026 cycle carries additional weight as the ITTF marks its centenary year. The programme has been described as "a key tool in supporting the global growth of table tennis," and opening it to all member associations, not just a targeted subset, fits the centenary framing the federation has adopted throughout 2026.

The April 17 deadline is firm. Member associations are invited to apply directly through ITTF channels.