Foundation Conservation Carpathia has launched a new table tennis programme to provide children with a suitable environment to exercise. Students from the communes of Rucar, Lerești, Stoenești, Valea Mare Pravăț and Nucșoara can register until November 6th for the programme which is free of charge.
Funded by the Carpathia Fund and implemented by Foundation Conservation Carpathia, this programme is part of a long-term partnership with six schools in the municipalities of Arges County. The programme provides each school with the necessary training equipment: table tennis tables, paddles and balls. With the support of Clubul Sportiv Voința Câmpulung, seven physical education and sports teachers are being advised on developing training programmes for children.
The project includes two table tennis training sessions per week for a year for students from schools in the municipalities of Rucar, Lerești, Stoenești, Valea Mare Pravăț and Nucșoara who are aged 8 to 16. Students can apply for the programme directly through their schools’ sports and physical education teachers until November 6th.
Table tennis is a sport that helps children develop and practice their reaction skills and speed of execution. The sport also promotes harmonious physical development, discipline and teamwork.
Table tennis is a traditional sport in Argeș County. Many top athletes have trained here and Voința Câmpulung club is one of the best table tennis centres in the country. The Voința Câmpulung Tennis Club was founded in 2002, and in recent years the club’s athletes have qualified for, and reached, national and international podiums. Among the most recent national titles won are the U11 Individual National Championship – Nadalia Ionașcu, 1st place and national champion in the women’s doubles – and Teodor Libianu, 2nd place and vice national champion in the men’s doubles. At the international level, Romania was represented by three athletes from Voința Câmpulung Club at the Stiga Masters Minimes in 2023, a competition for U11 players in Europe. The club has also provided the Romanian senior national team with a valuable player, Iulian Chiriță, who this year helped the national team qualify for the European Championships. The programme, developed in schools in Argeș with Conservation Carpathia Foundation, aims to foster a love of sport and exercise amongst children, but it could also be the starting point for future table tennis champions.
The Carpathia Fund is a financial instrument that aims to contribute to the sustainable development of the communities around the Făgăraș Mountains. The Fund also acts as a fast, non-bureaucratic support system in difficult situations. The Carpathia Fund supports environmental, educational, sport, social and ecotourism infrastructure development projects.
About Foundation Conservation Carpathia
Foundation Conservation Carpathia is the largest private forest conservation project in Europe, helping to restore the natural ecosystems of the Carpathian Mountains for the benefit of biodiversity and local communities. Since 2009, the Foundation has saved over 27,000 hectares of alpine forests and grasslands in the south-eastern Southern Carpathians from logging. It has acquired the land for conservation purposes, planted over 4.1 million seedlings, ecologically restored over 1,991 hectares affected by logging, and created a 78,000-hectare no-take zone for sport and trophy hunting.
