One Table, No Roof, and a Dream: Ping Pong for Children Ethiopia

2019. One old table. Worn-out rackets. A handful of balls. An open space with no roof and no proper flooring. And a global pandemic about to shut the world down.

This is how Ping Pong for Children Ethiopia started.

Daniel Tadesse didn't plan to become a youth coach. He wanted to be a world-class player. He pushed himself for years, representing Ethiopia, playing for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia club, chasing the dream every competitive player knows. But the challenges were immense, and the absolute top stayed out of reach.

So Daniel made a decision. If he couldn't be the best player Ethiopia ever produced, he'd build the path for someone who could.

Starting from Nothing

The early days were brutal. COVID-19 made gathering players nearly impossible. Training in an open-air space meant sessions depended on the weather. Convincing parents that their children should spend time hitting a small white ball was its own battle.

The first breakthrough came from the ITTF Foundation: 30 professional rackets, 72 balls, and 10 shirts. It doesn't sound like much. But for a program running on nothing, it was everything.

Over 100 children have passed through the program since 2019. Today, 30 active players train six days a week. Monday is the only rest day. The cost for families? Zero. The program is 100% free.

Building the Next Generation

The group that started as Under-13 players has matured into Under-19 competitors. This year, Daniel launched a new Under-13 group, led by one of his senior players who transitioned into coaching, to keep the pipeline moving.

The Under-19 group that grew from the original Under-13 program

More Than Backhands

Daniel is not just teaching table tennis. He's an International Umpire, a Regional Competition Manager, and a member of the ITTF Africa Media Committee. He holds a degree in Computer Science and works as a Data Analyst. He brings all of that into how he runs the program: structured, analytical, professional.

But what he sees in the children goes far beyond technique.

His players are maturing faster than their peers. Through the sport, some have started earning their own income through clubs. They travel alone for competitions. They develop communication and social skills that their classmates don't have yet.

When Daniel registers new kids, he aims for an equal split: five boys, five girls. They come from diverse cultures, religions, and backgrounds. When they step up to the table, those differences disappear.

A young player trains at the program's facility in Addis Ababa

Bitaniya

Bitaniya Senay is 15. She heard about the program from a friend who told her to try ping pong. She said why not.

Her first day, she was scared to walk in. Her friend insisted. The kids and the coach made her feel welcome. Four and a half years later, she's still there, and she's won most of the tournaments she's entered.

What changed? Everything.

Her role model is Hana Goda, the Egyptian prodigy who won titles at an early age. Bitaniya admires her playing style, her confidence, the way she pushes herself to be better every single time.

When she started, there were only five or six girls. She remembers all of them hitting the table together. A small but mighty crew. A little community within the project, learning, laughing, and improving side by side.

Being a girl in Ethiopian table tennis means a lot to Bitaniya. "It's like stepping into a space of equal opportunity. It's a place where I can prove to myself and others that girls can compete, excel, and shine in table tennis." The community has been welcoming and supportive. For her, it's more than a sport; it's a platform to inspire, socialize, and show what's possible.

Will she keep playing?

She's 15.

Biruk

Biruk Alex is 14. Same story, different details. Friends told him about the program. He liked sports. Ping pong looked fun and challenging.

His biggest challenge? Learning to control spin and stay calm during tough matches. His role model? Wang Chuqin. His proudest moment? Competing in tournaments and seeing how far he's come from where he started.

His friends at school think it's cool. Some asked him to teach them.

Biruk's answers are shorter than Bitaniya's. He's 14. But the pattern is the same: discipline, patience, confidence, focus under pressure. The sport is shaping him the same way it shapes every young player who sticks with it.

The Challenges That Don't Go Away

Equipment. Always equipment.

Balls are expensive and hard to find in Ethiopia. This limits the program's ability to do multiball training, which is essential for rapid player development. Daniel's players rely on donations from the association, clubs, and national team players. A cycle has formed: experienced players who now earn salaries from professional clubs buy new gear and donate their old blades and rubbers to the beginners.

It's beautiful. It's also not enough.

The Dream

Within the next year, Daniel wants to build a mini-library inside the venue so kids can study between sessions. In five years, he wants multiple branches across the city and the country. Eventually, across borders.

And if resources were unlimited?

He dreams of a world-class facility with dozens of tables, where Ethiopia could host WTT events and World Championships. It's a big dream for a program that started with one table and no roof.

But then again, over 100 children have already walked through the door. Thirty are training six days a week. A 15-year-old girl says she can't imagine life without the sound of the ball. A 14-year-old boy is teaching his school friends. A senior player became a volunteer coach to give back what he received.

One old table. Worn-out rackets. A handful of balls. And a man who decided that if he couldn't reach the top himself, he'd make sure someone else could.