Dang Qiu and Annett Kaufmann are the new German Champions

Edition of the German TT Finals: How the DTTB brings the table tennis family together in one festival

When world-class players Annett Kaufmann and Dang Qiu raised their trophies as German champions at the Messe Erfurt on the second Sunday in June, it was not just the end of the 94th German Championships for women and men. With the third edition of the German Table Tennis Finals, which for the first time took place under the name LOTTO Thüringen TT-Finals, the most successful edition to date of a competition format that is unique in international table tennis also came to a close.

Because the TT-Finals are far more than a classic German Championship. They are an attempt to bring the entire table tennis family together under one roof – from national team players to amateurs, from junior talents to senior world champions, from club members to recreational players in the park. 

It was precisely from this idea that the format was created.

The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) was looking for a way to make the many facets of the sport visible while also strengthening the connection between the different groups within the table tennis world. While many national championships focus exclusively on elite sport, the DTTB takes a different approach: the Table Tennis Finals are meant to be a big celebration of table tennis. In Europe, the four-day event is already the largest in table tennis.

A format growing year after year

The development over the past three years shows how consistently this path is being pursued.

At the 2024 premiere, around 500 athletes took part. Just one year later, the German Championships for senior women and men were integrated, adding another 500 or so players. In 2026, the next expansion step followed with the premiere of the first German Outdoor Championships. Around 100 recreational players expanded the field of participants, so that for the first time about 1,100 athletes took part in the TT-Finals.

This brought numerous German Championships together under one roof: the title competitions for women and men, the youth in the U15 and U19 age groups, the senior women and men in the Ü40 to Ü90 age groups, the amateur classes at district, regional, and association level, and for the first time the outdoor scene.

TMG Managing Director Lars Merle sees this as the event’s special strength: “The TT-Finals are increasingly developing into a true festival of table tennis – and growing year after year.” With 1,100 athletes, a new participant record was set in 2026.