All to play for as National Hopes Tour rolls into 2027

Table Tennis Australia’s 2026/27 National Hopes Tour standings are continuing to take shape, ahead of the fourth of five stops on the tour, which is set to take place at the Menai Indoor Sports Centre from 18-22 January.

You can register your spot at the New South Wales Hopes Tour by following this link.

Following our latest National Hopes Tour, which took place in Queensland in September, the Hopes Standings for 2026/27 have been updated, with Chengning Yang remaining top of the Boys’ standings with 410 points, whilst Zihui Rose Wang has moved into the top spot in the Girls’ rankings on 365 points. 

Melissa Tapper recapped on the Queensland Tour, whilst looking ahead to the first tour of 2027 in New South Wales, stating: “Queensland delivered a fantastic week of Hopes, showcasing some exciting young talent and a really strong high-performance learning environment. It was great to see athletes embracing challenges, pushing one another and demonstrating the attitude and enthusiasm needed to keep progressing. 

Beyond the quality of table tennis, what stood out was the commitment from both athletes and coaches to learning and improving together. The Hopes program is about much more than results; it's about recognising development, rewarding progress and creating opportunities for young athletes to build the skills, habits and behaviours that will support their long-term success.” 

A huge thank you to the City of Moreton Bay, coaches and guest presenters who contributed their time and expertise throughout the week. Their involvement helped create a valuable learning experience both on and off the table.” 

Experiences like these are an important part of strengthening our national pathway and developing the next generation of Australian table tennis talent." 

Next Stop – New South Wales 

The next stop on the TTA Hopes Tour is New South Wales, which is set to take place at the Menai Indoor Sports Centre from 18-22 January.  

Proudly supported by the Sutherland Shire Council,the five-day event will offer young athletes an exciting opportunity to develop their skills, learn from some of the country’s leading coaches, and test themselves against fellow emerging players in a high-performance environment.

Athletes will work with coaches from TTA’s National Coaching Panel and selected State High Performance programs, benefiting from expert guidance, technical and tactical development, athlete identification activities, and valuable opportunities to learn from their peers.

The final day will feature the Hopes Challenge, where athletes can compete for valuable Hopes Points towards the overall National Hopes Tour standings. 
 
These points contribute to qualification opportunities for the 2027 ITTF-Oceania Hopes Week, providing a potential pathway for Australia's most promising young athletes to represent their country on the international stage. 
 
About the TTA Hopes Tour

The National Hopes Tour is a key part of TTA’s athlete development pathway, designed to identify and nurture the next generation of Australian table tennis talent. Aligned with the International Table Tennis Federation’s (ITTF) Hopes Program, the initiative provides a pathway for promising young players to progress towards national representation and future international opportunities. 

The program is designed to develop more than on-table performance, with athletes also gaining experience in the habits, behaviours, and mindset required to succeed in high-performance sport. 

The National Hopes Tour training program is open to players born in 2015 or later, while the Hopes Challenge competition is divided into age-eligible categories in accordance with ITTF regulations.