Brønshøj table tennis club sees surge in senior players in Copenhagen

On a Wednesday morning at Grøndalscenteret, 15 players from Brønshøj Table Tennis are hard at training. Excitement fills the air as the ball is smashed back and forth while players shout encouragement. Among them, one player jokingly tells the others to stop the nonsense.

The age of these table tennis players surpasses that of the Danish Olympians currently in Paris. Among them is 67-year-old Solveig Henriksen, who emphasizes that the club includes a remarkable 90-year-old member, showcasing a growing interest in table tennis among those over 60. Two years ago, only 200 seniors played table tennis in Copenhagen, whereas today that figure has soared to nearly 700 in the city’s largest municipality.

Table tennis is seen as an accessible sport that allows players to participate at their own skill level. Henriksen notes, “Everyone can play,” and highlights the positive impact of the sport on older individuals.

The initiative to promote table tennis among seniors is driven by BAT60+, a nationwide organization under Table Tennis Denmark and DGI. Lars Bo Kaspersen, a key figure in the project, expresses optimism regarding the increasing number of older players but also acknowledges a challenge: a shortage of facilities to accommodate the growing interest.

Currently, Brønshøj Table Tennis has 180 registered members over 60, and they occasionally struggle to find enough court time. Mogens Theisen Pedersen, a lecturer at the University of Copenhagen, underscores the importance of staying active as we age, noting that exercise helps slow functional decline.

Henriksen affirms the benefits of her regular practice, stating, “If I hadn’t started playing table tennis, I definitely wouldn’t be as fit as I am today.”