6th PING PONG PARKINSON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
FROM OCTOBER 20 TO 26, 2025
+39 349 8422176ATHLETES
NATIONS
CONTINENTS
PEOPLE
The Association will organize the 6th World Championship, which will be held in Lignano Sabbiadoro at the Bella Italia Efa Village Sport & Family facility from October 20 to 26, 2025, the World Championship for people with Parkinson’s disease.
THE PROGRAM
From 2:30PM
OPENING CEREMONY
The opening ceremony will be held on Monday, October 20, 2025 in the early afternoon starting at approximately 2:30 PM. The ceremony will be enhanced by the presence of two choirs composed mostly of people with Parkinson’s: the Gioconda Choir from Udine and the “Par Ke i soni inveze i canta” choir from Trieste. There will also be a presentation of Dance Park workshops for people with Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, Francesca Ciani will dedicate one of her extraordinary poems to us. This will be followed by a parade of all participating nations.
to Sunday, October 26, 2025
MATCH SCHEDULE
Matches will take place from Tuesday the 21st to Saturday the 25th throughout the day. On Sunday the 26th, the finals will be held. The award ceremony will take place in the afternoon.
Athletes will be divided into three classes based on the severity of their condition.
Matches will include:
- Women’s singles, women’s doubles
- Men’s singles, men’s doubles
- Mixed doubles.
- There will be initial groups of 6 people. Everyone plays against each other. At the end, the top three advance to the Competition category, while the bottom three move to the Consolation category. From this point forward, there will be a single-elimination format with semifinals and finals, and medals will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers.
This ensures everyone can play as much as possible and benefit personally.
Participants are expected to arrive on Sunday, October 19th and Monday, October 20th.
At 9:00PM
DOCUFILM “Illegio – I Segreti di un viaggio nell’incanto”
Directed by Ermanno Del Tatto.
At 6:00PM
MEDICAL-SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
The medical-scientific conference is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, October 22 at 6:00 PM and will be titled “Sports Activity and Parkinson’s: The Example of Ping Pong. Testimonials”.
Our speakers:
Dr. Enrico Belgrado,
Neurologist, SOC Neurology,
ASUFC Udine.
Prof. Angelo Antonini from Padua,
Head of the
Neurodegenerative Diseases Unit,
Neurology Clinic, University of Padua.
Moderator: Dr. Gianna Zamaro,
Director of Health, Social Policies and Disability,
Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
At 5:30PM
VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION IN ILLEGIO
Upon request, visit to the international art exhibition in Illegio titled “Wealth. Eternal Dilemma.” Transportation provided by our bus.
Departure at 3:00 PM from Bella Italia Efa Village Sport & Family – Lignano (UD). Return expected around 8:00 PM.
In the afternoon
CLOSING CEREMONY
The closing ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 26, 2025.
WHY DO IT
Dott. Nenad Bach
The Ping Pong Parkinson World Championship was founded in March 2017 by Croatian-American artist and composer Dr. Nenad Bach, with the goal of slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease using ping pong as a form of therapy. The model is based on the concept of neuroplasticity.
Psychological well-being
The social and dynamic context of the game promotes psychological well-being and motivation for active participation. Table tennis is essentially an integration into traditional rehabilitation programs. In fact, it is considered a form of integrative therapy, complementary to traditional pharmacological and rehabilitation therapies.
Scientific medical support
The association is forming a scientific medical committee to provide support. To this end, it is in contact with doctors, neurologists and others, including Prof. Angelo Antonini from the Neurological Clinic of the Hospital of Padua, Dr. Enrico Belgrado from the Neurological Clinic of the Hospital of Udine, and Prof. Paolo Di Benadetto, former head physician of the Gervasutta Hospital in Udine.
Partnerships
The association has started a partnership with PROMOTURISMO FVG to promote the Friuli Venezia Giulia region as much as possible in connection with this event.
The association has started a partnership with FITET, Italian Table Tennis Federation, whom we thank for providing the referee for the event.
In conclusion, this is the first time Italy has hosted a world championship for people with Parkinson’s disease. Hosting this event at the Bella Italia-Efa Village facilities in Lignano Sabbiadoro places the Friuli Venezia Giulia region at the center of the world stage.
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