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Hello everyone,
Building on the legacy of the 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Festival, the ITTF Foundation is continuing its commitment to making table tennis a force for positive change by supporting two players with Parkinson's, Christine Knapp and Stefan Sigfridsson, to compete at the ITTF World Masters Championships Gangneung 2026.
We invite you to discover their inspiring stories and support their journey to the global stage, where they will compete alongside more than 2,000 athletes from around the world!
Christine Knapp, 59, from Klagenfurt, Austria, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021. She rediscovered table tennis during a wellness retreat in 2024 and later joined specialised training sessions at Table Tennis Club Gurnitz. Inspired by five-time Parkinson’s table tennis champion Agnes Jan, Christine now trains twice a week and has already won two medals at the 2025 Parkinson’s World Championships. For her, table tennis represents community, confidence, and proof that life with Parkinson’s can still be lived fully.
For Stefan Sigfridsson, 68, from Arbrå, Sweden, table tennis has been a lifelong passion. After Parkinson’s symptoms forced him away from the sport, he returned in 2024 through Söderhamn club SUIF’s Parkinson’s programme. Stefan now drives 50 kilometres each way to train, and the impact has been life-changing — even reducing painful symptoms that affect his daily life. His journey shows that it is never too late to return to what you love.
Selected through a raffle during the 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Festival in Sweden, Christine and Stefan will join more than 2,000 athletes at the World Masters Championships in Gangneung, sharing a message of resilience and demonstrating how table tennis can help break barriers and improve lives.
This initiative reflects the ITTF Foundation’s commitment to health, inclusion, and creating positive social impact through sport.
Click here to Support Christine and Stefan and be part of positive change through table tennis!
Thank you in advance.
Building on the legacy of the 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Festival, the ITTF Foundation is continuing its commitment to making table tennis a force for positive change by supporting two players with Parkinson's, Christine Knapp and Stefan Sigfridsson, to compete at the ITTF World Masters Championships Gangneung 2026.
We invite you to discover their inspiring stories and support their journey to the global stage, where they will compete alongside more than 2,000 athletes from around the world!
Christine Knapp, 59, from Klagenfurt, Austria, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021. She rediscovered table tennis during a wellness retreat in 2024 and later joined specialised training sessions at Table Tennis Club Gurnitz. Inspired by five-time Parkinson’s table tennis champion Agnes Jan, Christine now trains twice a week and has already won two medals at the 2025 Parkinson’s World Championships. For her, table tennis represents community, confidence, and proof that life with Parkinson’s can still be lived fully.
For Stefan Sigfridsson, 68, from Arbrå, Sweden, table tennis has been a lifelong passion. After Parkinson’s symptoms forced him away from the sport, he returned in 2024 through Söderhamn club SUIF’s Parkinson’s programme. Stefan now drives 50 kilometres each way to train, and the impact has been life-changing — even reducing painful symptoms that affect his daily life. His journey shows that it is never too late to return to what you love.
Selected through a raffle during the 2025 World Table Tennis for Health Festival in Sweden, Christine and Stefan will join more than 2,000 athletes at the World Masters Championships in Gangneung, sharing a message of resilience and demonstrating how table tennis can help break barriers and improve lives.
This initiative reflects the ITTF Foundation’s commitment to health, inclusion, and creating positive social impact through sport.
Click here to Support Christine and Stefan and be part of positive change through table tennis!
Thank you in advance.
