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Former European champions Dang Qiu and Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the men’s event, as well as Sabine Winter and Annett Kaufmann in the women’s event, headline Germany’s squad for the European Championships in Ljubljana. The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) has nominated a total of seven men and five women for the championships in Slovenia, which will take place from October 11 to 18. Titles will be awarded in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Ovtcharov won European Championship gold in 2013 and 2015, while Qiu claimed the title in 2022. In Ljubljana, the DTTB believes Germany has medal chances “in all events”. In the women’s competition, Winter, Kaufmann, Ying Han and Nina Mittelham are even considered among the favorites, with four German players featuring in the group of medal contenders.

The tournament schedule has already drawn criticism. Since the China Smash in Beijing (October 1–11) only ends on the opening day of the European Championships, the top players face the prospect of competing at the tournament without any real preparation. “We are, of course, very dissatisfied with the scheduling situation. We very much hope that this will remain a one-off exception,” said DTTB Sporting Director Richard Prause.

Germany’s squad for the European Table Tennis Championships:

Women: Sabine Winter, Ying Han, Nina Mittelham, Annett Kaufmann, Franziska Schreiner
Men: Dang Qiu, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Patrick Franziska, Benedikt Duda, Andre Bertelsmeier, Wim Verdonschot, Kay Stumper
Men’s Doubles: Benedikt Duda/Dang Qiu, Patrick Franziska/Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Women’s Doubles: Annett Kaufmann/Nina Mittelham, Ying Han/Sabine Winter
Mixed Doubles: Patrick Franziska/Annett Kaufmann, Benedikt Duda/Nina Mittelham

Source: SID