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Team Australia shine in WTT Youth Contender Bangkok 2026
Published Fri 22 May 2026
Table Tennis Australia’s emerging talent continues to make its mark on the international stage, with Australian athletes delivering an excellent medal haul at WTT Youth Contender Bangkok 2026.
Australia celebrated four medals across the event, highlighted by a silver medal performance from Owen Chung in the U11 Boys division. Bronze medals were also secured by Daniel Lin (U13 Boys), Lin Zhu (U13 Girls), and Connie Psihogios (U19 Girls), underlining the depth of Australia’s next generation of table tennis talent.
The Bangkok campaign forms a key part of Table Tennis Australia’s ever-growing Youth Tour Program, an initiative designed to give young athletes valuable international experience by taking the skills developed at home and testing them in elite overseas competition.
Australia’s delegation to Bangkok is one of the largest youth teams the nation has ever sent abroad for table tennis competition, featuring 23 athletes, two National Coaches, and one Development Panel coach. The size and scope of the tour reflect the continued growth and ambition of the national pathway program.
Rob Gomm, General Manager of TTA’s Olympic Program added: “We’re incredibly excited by the continued growth of the TTA Youth Tours program. To have 23 athletes participate across two China training camps and two WTT events represents a new level of scale and opportunity for our emerging talent. These experiences are critical in the development of our young athletes as they progress toward the international stage.
Just as importantly, this initiative has helped enable 22 athletes to become eligible for the Youth Olympic Games trial process, which is a fantastic outcome and a testament to the strength of the pathway we’re building for our future stars.”
Participation in WTT Youth Contender Bangkok also carries significant long-term value for Australia’s young athletes. With the exception of Connie Psihogios, who narrowly misses eligibility by just 16 days due to age requirements, all athletes competing in Bangkok will meet the ITTF eligibility criteria for future Youth Olympic Games qualification opportunities.
The Bangkok event represents the second stage of a three-part international development tour, which began with a training camp in Shanghai, followed by WTT Bangkok (Youth Contender and Star Youth Contender events), before concluding with a final training camp in Nanjing.
Melissa Tapper, AIS Gen32 Scholarship Coach at TTA hailed the importance of the pre-WTT training camp in Shanghai, saying: “I loved the convenience of the Shanghai training environment, with accommodation, food, and training all in close proximity. The last thing you want to worry about after training is organising meals or getting back to your room to recover and rest. On another note, I really enjoyed watching new athletes join the team and seamlessly integrate, with great credit to our senior youth athletes for leading the standards through their own actions.”
Furthermore, Mun Wai Chan, father of Hannah and Ivan Chan (Western Australia), stated: “The Shanghai camp was a remarkable opportunity for Hannah and Ivan. Each day has been structured to challenge them in new ways, and the intensity of the program has shown them what it truly takes to perform at the highest level.
“Beyond the technical training, they are learning first hand about the hard work, resilience, and discipline required to succeed in elite sport. Just as importantly, it has been a chance to train alongside like-minded athletes and their peers, forming bonds and learning to work together as a team. For Hannah, being the youngest player in the squad, the opportunity to learn from her older teammates has been especially valuable.
Chan continued by saying: “From a parent’s perspective, the camp has provided a safe and supportive environment. I felt completely comfortable entrusting my children to the coaches, knowing they were well cared for while being pushed to grow as athletes. We are very grateful for this experience, and I believe it will be a defining step in their journey along the high‑performance pathway.”
