Between 24 and 27 April, the Brazilian city will welcome 84 players from across eight different associations, including a strong selection of home favorites and medal winners from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Brazil’s trailblazer Bruna Alexandre is one of them. The four-time Paralympian made history in Paris last year when she competed at both the Olympic ánd Paralympic Games and is one of the top favorites in São Paulo this week.
A month after debuting at the Olympic Games, Alexandre claimed two bronze medals at the Paralympic Games with a bronze in the Singles C10 and a bronze in the doubles WD20 event, making her a six-time Paralympic medallist.
Fresh off a Singles victory in the C9-10 category at the season’s first Challenger event in Wladyslawowo, Poland, last month, Alexandre has her eyes firmly set on further success.
Alexandre is not the only home favourite to look out for, however. Paralympic bronze doubles medalists Joyce de Oliveira (C3) and Catia Oliveira (C2) as well as Luiz Filipe Guarnieri Manara (C8) and Claudio Massad (C10) are others aiming to shine at the home tables.
Like Alexandre, both Joyce de Oliveira and Catia Oliveira know what it’s like to land on top in a Challenger event. The two didn’t lose any doubles games in Wladyslawowo, culminating in success at the end in the W5-10 group.
The attention is not only on the home stars, though. Other athletes to watch include Paris 2024 bronze medalists Ander Cepas from Spain (C9) and Chile’s Florencia Perez (C8) and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Jenson van Emburgh (USA) in the C3 event.
The Challenger event in Sao Paulo is the first of three Para-events taking place in the Brazillian city in 2025, with the ITTF World Para Elite and ITTF Pan American Para Championships to follow in October this year.
What are the Challenger events?
A step up on the ladder from the Future events, Challenger aims to bring a higher intensity and even more unmissable moments.
From the debut in Wladyslawowo, Poland, the action takes a trip to São Paulo, Brazil, with Montenegrin capital Podgorica swiftly following.
Over the remainder of the year Challenger will head to Lasko (Slovenia), Kaohsiung (Chinese Taipei), Astana (Kazakhstan), Al Ain (UAE) and Giza (Egypt).
What Has Happened In The Challenger Series So Far?
The first ITTF Para Challenger event took place in Wladyslawowo, Poland, where 24 titles were decided across four days, with the likes of home hero Maciej Makajew coming out on top in the C11-class. Two-time Paralympic champion Tommy Urhaug (NOR) secured victory in M4-5.
In the women’s competition, there was plenty to celebrate for Andela Muzinic Vincetic. The Croatian class 3 player emerged on top in the Class 1-5, building on what was surely a pinnacle Paris gold medal back in 2024.
Ukraine’s Maryna Lyvotchenko was another of those who brought her best to Wladyslawowo. Lycvotchenko defeated the likes of Cajsa Stadler and Katarzyna Marszal en route to Class 6 victory.
How to follow the action
Follow the action LIVE across two tables in Brazil. They will be available to watch on our YouTube Channel. And you can keep up-to-date with all of the results as they happen on our website. Keep an eye across our social media channels as well, where we will look to bring you the key moments, celebrations and results from Sao Paulo.
A Recap on the Three-tiers
Announced in November 2024, the new structure of the Para circuit incorporates three separate tiers: future, challenger and elite.
- Future is designed as a development point for emerging talents to hone their skills on the international stage and build their ranking.
- Challenger is the next step on the ladder. Competitions will tend to be larger and adopt a higher intensity. With up to eight Challenger events in 2025, each one promises to create big stories and develop exciting rivalries.
- Elite is where you can expect the very top stars of Para sport to meet. Huge showdowns, moments of pure magic and exhilarating competition are all guaranteed.
- Each event in 2025 has something major at stake: valuable ranking points. Points will be awarded based off performances at each event, with the rankings adjusting throughout the course of the year to track who has been performing at the most consistent level.
For 2025, there is a one-year transition period which allows players to defend those points accumulated over the previous 52 weeks.
