Slovenia is hosting the 5. PingPongParkinson World Championship for Patients with Parkinson’sPlaying and regular practice of ping pong have been improving the psychophysical condition of
Parkinson’s patients for the past five years. A pioneer in the development of this type of therapy, Mr. Nenad Bach from the USA, improved his condition through this practice and saw his mission in globally promoting exercise among patients. He founded the PingPongParkinson International (PPP) association, which operates in at least 300 PPP clubs in 24 countries on three continents. Slovenia and the Trepetlika Association play a prominent role in the PPP association as one of the first members, with Mag. Vinko Kurent, the pioneer of the practice in Slovenia, also serving as the vice president of the PPP association.
The result of such movement has also led to the organization of the 5. PPPWC 2024, where participation increases every year. At the 1st PPPWC in the USA in 2019, 62 patients from 12 countries participated, while at the 4th PPPWC 2022 in Austria, there were already 286 players from 23 countries.
For the first time, we will invite patients who play ping pong tennis but do not wish to compete to participate. PPP International will provide them with quality therapeutic training. This will also be the first championship where patients, as ping pong players, will have the opportunity to showcase their artistic works to the participants of the championship.
Lastly, we aim for Slovenian Parkinson’s patients to experience Slovenia and Laško as an interesting tourist destination offering top-notch spa tourism supported by diverse sports infrastructure and excellent cuisine. In Laško, we expect from October 14th to 19th, 2024:
- 350 competitors and around 300 accompanying persons from 25 countries.
- Games will be played in the Tri Lilije sports hall on 30 tables, with a total of 1,600
matches in 15 categories. - Therapeutic ping pong will be played at the Primož Trubar Primary School on 12 tables.
- For the needs of the championship, we have reserved the entire Thermana Laško hotel
complex and expect approximately 700 participants, which means around 4,000
overnight stays. - Additional program: grand opening, various lectures, exhibition of players’ artworks,
Players Party, and a grand finale with medal presentations. - About 80 volunteers from all over Slovenia and abroad will be involved in the
organization. - The entire championship will be streamed live every day on the YT channel and FB
profile. - We aim to present Slovenia as an excellent tourist destination, especially in terms of spa
tourism.
We are pleased that the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar, has taken on the honorary patronage of the 5th PPP World Championship, which gives us recognition for our work as the Trepetlika Association.