by Karine Dumontier
Have you ever heard of the ITTF World Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Table Tennis Championships? This is now in its third year. The latest edition took place from November 26-30, 2025, in Helsingborg, Sweden, and welcomed no fewer than 195 table tennis players with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease from 23 countries and territories. We had two Canadians in attendance who proudly represented our country: Pascale Koenig and David Maurin.
This was David Maurin’s second time participating in these World Championships, and he left with the world championship title in the Alzheimer’s category for the second time in a row. That is no small feat.
We spoke briefly with his daughter, Juliette, after this remarkable achievement to learn more about his story.
Mr. Maurin has always been athletic and played table tennis when he was younger, while living in France. Married to a Quebecker, he moved to Montreal upon retirement. A friend told him about table tennis when he was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and trained with him.
Since that moment, table tennis became important to Mr. Maurin for several reasons, but the main one is the pleasure – the pleasure of playing, of being physically active, and meeting people who share a common passion. In addition, table tennis is a project that Mr. Maurin is committed to, and that does him a lot of good. Training is an integral part of his daily routine.
Last year, a friend saw that the World Championship was being held in France. He participated and loved the experience of competing and meeting new people. He befriended a team from Greece comprising several athletes and a coach. He also won the competition, making him a World Champion. Buoyed by this first experience, he participated again this year and repeated his feat. Although winning the championship is not the primary goal of participating in such a competition, Mr. Maurin is proud to have won and to have been able to represent Quebec and Canada in this international competition.
It goes without saying that such an adventure requires a supportive entourage, since athletes, as his daughter Juliette pointed out, need someone to accompany them throughout the competition. Mr. Maurin is fortunate to be surrounded by his family and table tennis friends, which makes his adventure easier. However, there are significant financial barriers for athletes who want to compete on a regular basis or abroad. Mr. Maurin is considering whether he will be able to defend his title next year in Shanghai, China.
Table Tennis Canada is proud of David Maurin’s journey and hopes that table tennis will become more accessible to all people with Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.
To learn more about the 2025 tournament, click here: World Alzheimer’s TT Championships – ITTF Foundation
