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The SWAN consortium gathered for an onsite coordination meeting on 12-13 December 2025 in Slovenia, hosted by project partner the University of Ljubljana. After a full year of close but primarily remote collaboration, this in-person meeting brought partners together to assess project progress, address challenges, and align on the path forward as the initiative approaches the midpoint of its timeline.

Representatives from all seven partner organisations, including the ITTF Foundation's TT4Health team members Moncho and Lea, participated in two days of productive discussions focused on evaluating achievements from the first year and preparing for the deliverables and activities ahead.

Year one deliverables: implementation and communication in focus

A key agenda item was the review of two major deliverables due at the end of the project's first year:

• Implementation Progress Report. Led by PASKA, the report documents the consortium's progress in executing the SWAN work plan and highlights milestones achieved throughout the initial phase of implementation.
• Updated Communication and Dissemination Plan. Led by the ITTF Foundation, this updated plan ensures the consortium continues to effectively raise awareness about the therapeutic benefits of table tennis for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases.

Developing the "Train the Trainer" toolkit

The majority of the meeting was dedicated to advancing the development of training materials for the "Train the Trainer" toolkit - a cornerstone resource designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to implement table tennis interventions for people with NDDs.

Partners engaged in extensive discussions on the structure of training sessions and the collaborative approach needed to deliver comprehensive content. By the meeting's conclusion, the consortium had developed a cohesive programme framework that will enable quality implementation, including:

• defined content for preparing trainers to deliver effective interventions;
• a standardised template for composing intervention programmes;
• clear guidelines on session structure and delivery methods.

The power of in-person collaboration

This face-to-face meeting marked a pivotal milestone for the SWAN project. While the consortium had maintained solid coordination through virtual channels throughout the first year, bringing partners together in person proved essential for aligning perspectives and deepening mutual understanding.

The meeting provided renewed momentum as the project transitions into its second year, reinforcing the spirit of cooperation and shared commitment that defines the SWAN initiative. The energy and clarity gained from these two days in Slovenia will strengthen the consortium's ability to deliver impactful results in the months ahead.

As part of the project's dissemination strategy, partners from across the consortium took part in the 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Festival in Helsingborg, Sweden, from 26 to 30 November. Players, coaches, accompanying persons and presenters at the WTT4H Congress represented SWAN throughout the week.

Players, coaches and accompanying persons

SWAN partners supported participants at the World Parkinson's Table Tennis Championships and the World Alzheimer's Table Tennis Championships:

• Foundation Compassion Alzheimer Bulgaria - Stoil Totev and Veselin Nedelchev (players), with Lalka Ivanova and Petya Ivanova accompanying.
• Alzheimer León - Maria Reyes Llanos Gallegos (player) and Jesus Martinez Gonzalez (coach), with Paloma Gomez Gonzalez and Lucia de la Pisa Nino accompanying.
• PASKA - Nikolaos Ousme and Lydia Richard de Latour (players), with Lidija Ignjatovic (coach).

Work Package 2 at the WTT4H Congress

The ITTF Foundation and KTG Research & Innovation presented the two reports produced for Work Package 2 to the Congress audience.

Both presentations are available to download:

• Best practices from around the World - Ramon Ortega Montes, ITTF Foundation (PDF, 0.9 MB)
• Shaping the future: needs of TT4Health programmes - Christos Gkoumas, KTG Research & Innovation (PDF, 1.2 MB)

The session was streamed live: 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Congress - Day 2.

Healthy Side Activities

Across the five days of the festival, the Healthy Side Activities are open to everyone taking part - players, coaches, accompanying persons and spectators alike - with the aim of sharing good moments alongside the competition.

The ITTF Foundation invited Alzheimer León to run a programme there, demonstrating the need for therapeutic table tennis of the kind SWAN is building. Each day, representatives of Alzheimer León hosted engaging mini-exercises and table tennis-inspired games that supported motor skills and cognitive stimulation at the same time.

Following the successful submission of Deliverable 2.1 Research Insights at the end of July, the SWAN consortium held its 4th project progress meeting online on 22 September 2025. Representatives from the partner organisations came together to exchange updates, share insights and coordinate the next steps of the project.

The agenda covered:

1. Planned activities for October and November
2. Progress on Work Package 3
3. Preparation for the onsite meeting in Slovenia in December 2025
4. Progress reports
5. Visibility and communication activities
6. Other key points: the publication of the Best Practices Report, and the preparation of letters of acknowledgment to the organisations that contributed to Deliverable 2.1 Research Insights.

With every meeting the consortium moves a step closer to its shared goal of promoting inclusive participation in sport across Europe, and in particular for people living with neurodegenerative diseases. The partners are now preparing for the next phase of implementation.

On 13 September 2025, Alzheimer León took part in the event "Hit Forget Away", attracting a large audience and significant media coverage across press, television and social media. The event provided an opportunity to bring therapeutic table tennis closer to the public and raise the visibility of the SWAN project. A press release and a promotional poster were prepared and integrated into the activities for World Alzheimer's Day.

The event gathered approximately 300 participants, including people living with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Activities included free practice tables, introductory table tennis sessions, professional exhibitions, ball-throwing machine exercises, a reading of the commemorative manifesto, live music and symbolic diploma awards.

The event was held in collaboration with the Castilla y León Table Tennis Federation, the ITTF Foundation, the Parkinson Association of León, Ludens, and the León City Council Sports Department.

The SWAN project is featured in an article by Parkinson's Europe.

EU SWAN table tennis initiative set to help people with Parkinson's

On 25 June 2025 the project partners gathered for the 3rd online progress meeting, an opportunity to align, reflect and move forward together. Representatives from all seven partner organisations shared updates and insights.

Discussion centred on Work Package 2: Strategic Research and Analysis, with the submission of its three core deliverables approaching. Partners presented the progress made so far and agreed the steps towards finalising this phase of the work.

Work also continued on communication and dissemination, led by the ITTF Foundation, to keep the project's outreach impactful, measurable and far-reaching.

The meeting closed with the partners looking ahead to the next phase of implementation.

On 16 April 2025 the SWAN project partners came together for an online meeting to share updates on the progress of the project so far and align on the next steps. Representatives from all seven partner organisations contributed to the session.

Among the key topics discussed were the project's communication and dissemination efforts. The ITTF Foundation team, which leads that work package, presented tools for tracking and evaluating the impact of the project's outreach, so that it stays both strategic and measurable.

The meeting also focused on the phase then under way, Work Package 2: Strategic Research and Analysis, with three deliverables due for completion by the summer.

It marked another step towards promoting inclusive participation in sport across Europe, and in particular for people living with neurodegenerative diseases.

On 29 January 2025 the SWAN project held its virtual kick-off meeting, bringing together representatives of the partner organisations for the first time. The project looks at the benefits of sport, and of table tennis in particular, for people living with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, as a promising non-pharmacological approach to care.

Partners used the meeting to introduce themselves, exchange ideas and set out the work ahead, from the research components and the evaluation of the intervention to the development of a digital system for monitoring physical activity and progress over time.

The consortium brings together seven organisations from seven countries, spanning sport, health, clinical care and technological innovation:

• International Table Tennis Federation Foundation
• University of Ljubljana - Faculty of Sport
• KTG Research & Innovation
• Panhellenic Athletic Club for Physically Disabled People (PASKA)
• Foundation Compassion Alzheimer Bulgaria
• French Table Tennis Federation
• Alzheimer León

Each organisation is introduced on the Partners page.