ITTF Relaunches My Gender. My Strength. Women’s Coaching Project for 2026

The International Table Tennis Federation announced the return of its flagship women’s development programme, "My Gender. My Strength.," for 2026, renewing a three-stage pathway aimed at identifying and fast-tracking women coaches and female leaders inside Member Associations, a brief ITTF notice shows, though that notice contains a truncated line ending with "to strength."

The project has run for several years and grew in scope in 2023, when the format was revised to place more emphasis on leadership skills and Member Association development. Nsttc reported, "For the last few years, the popularity of the ‘My Gender. My Strength.’ project has proven that more and more girls and women from all parts of the world are interested in taking part in table tennis, in various roles and on different levels, as demonstrated by a plethora of success stories." Nsttc added that the 2023 revision moved "from awareness to change" and supported implementation of the ITTF’s newly adopted Gender and Diversity plan.

ITTF President Petra Sörling backed the relaunch, saying, "The MGMS project is very important and obviously works and helps our MAs to further develop the area of Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion." That endorsement frames the relaunch as an institutional push to turn past successes into sustained MA-level capacity.

The MGMS model remains a three-stage programme in its most recent descriptions. Stage 1 places candidates with experienced, top-level coaching experts to build theoretical knowledge. Stage 2 gives candidates practical experience through participation in athlete- or coach-focused activities, with the Hopes program and youth training camps named as examples. Stage 3 requires the candidate to implement a two- to three-day National Coaching Seminar for other female coaches, run under the umbrella and with the full support of their respective Member Association.

Table Tennis Canada published operational details for national selection and candidate support. Ttcanada stated, "The ‘My Gender. My Strength.’ project aims to enhance and advance women’s participation in Table Tennis by supporting and empowering ambitious female coaches." Ttcanada added that each selected candidate will receive comprehensive support, which includes coverage of expenses related to group mentoring sessions, funding for participation in agreed development activities, and assistance in organizing a Women and Girls Training Camp.

Canada’s national call invited applicants to submit a motivational video, a current coaching CV, and details of their practical coaching experience to karine@ttcanada.ca by March 23rd, 2025. Ttcanada wrote, "A committee will review all submissions and select one coach to represent Canada in this prestigious program, ensuring timely submission of the application to the ITTF."

Key operational details remain unconfirmed for 2026: the total number of coaches to be selected globally, the 2026 schedule for the three stages, and full budget or funding breakdowns. The Original Report’s truncated phrase "to strength" also requires clarification from ITTF. With national associations such as Table Tennis Canada already running selection routes and the 2023 model focused on leadership and MA development, the 2026 relaunch positions MGMS as a practical vehicle for the ITTF Gender and Diversity plan, while final participant numbers and timelines await ITTF confirmation.