Maria Christoforaki in the staff of the Swedish ping pong federation

Maria Christoforaki started training at the local sports center, but quickly went in search of new avenues for table tennis. Gradually she left her games in the background and looked with zeal at the training part.

Recognition quickly came to a country that is top in the sport. She worked in a club and, since her steady progress still included cooperation with young international athletes, presence in training camps, moves to promote the sport, etc., today she has the joy and the honor of joining the Swedish sports federation, as announced before Christmas by the SBTF as Head of Development and Evolution Planning for women’s table tennis with a contract from 1 January 2022 until 31 December 2023.

It is a development that justifies the efforts and choices of the international athlete and her family for many years, it is another news that “reflects” in the Greek table tennis and offers wide smiles and pride for her people who work abroad and grow.

Christoforaki left the National Women’s Team two years ago, because her priorities changed. At the same time, she reduced her presence at Olympiakos or to foreign teams, as she had already started working as a table tennis coach at a Laholm club, a few kilometers away from Halmstad.

In the process, she agreed with a second club, Vaxtorp Bois, where she also has her ticket to play as a substitute if necessary, while this season she has given only two games in the doubles and one in the singles. She learned the Swedish language well, expanding her knowledge and experience in coaching, until she applied for the Swedish federation and was selected.

With the decisive contribution of the protagonist in this very special news, we quote the whole report. The history until the recruitment, but also important activities of the current coach in Scandinavia in the last months. Next, we will dwell on excerpts from the report on the SBTF website, where the recruitments of Christoforakis and Tobias Biergmann for the women’s national team were announced together.

THE MULTIPLE ROLE IN ITS NEW POSITION

After two rounds of interviews and seven more candidates, the Piraeus champion will belong from January 1 until December 31, 2023 (with the possibility of renewal) to the staff of the Swedish federation as a full time employee. Her role will be multiple.

Initially, she will be responsible (project leader, strategist) for the development of the sport in women in general. Her action as a project leader implies the creation of a long-term plan for how Swedish ping pong will develop in women. How will the venue attract young girls, how will it keep what it already has, how will the sport be more attractive with tournaments, leagues, etc.?

Christoforaki will be responsible for the budget, for continuous evaluations if the plan is followed properly and for changes if needed. It will also be responsible for liaising with regions, teams, coaches and players, in order to create a good climate of communication, confidentiality and participation in the project.

Apart from that, her responsibilities will also concern coaching to a certain extent. She will be in charge of the national girls and boys teams and assistant to the new women coach, Tobias Biergman. With the latter, there will be close cooperation, as he will be his assistant not only in camps or some tournaments in the future, but also in the planning and organization of national teams.

In Greek, the title of her work translates as Responsible for Planning the Development and Evolution of Table Tennis for Women.

Christoforaki will remain, at least, until the end of the season as a coach in both teams she works in and then she will discuss with the federation to see if she can and if she will have time to continue.

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