The Sixth Amity Cup International Table Tennis Philanthropic Tournament was held on November 14 to 15 at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, attracting around 760 players of 129 teams from 23 countries for matches promoting friendship and charity.
For the second consecutive year, Word4Asia Consulting International—a U.S.-registered consulting firm that supports NGOs working in China and Southeast Asia—has served as co-chair of the tournament alongside the faith-based Amity Foundation.
Since its launch in 2018, the five previous "Amity Cup" Table Tennis Philanthropy Tournaments have drawn more than 4,000 Ping Pong enthusiasts from across China, raising over eight million yuan in donations, which have supported various public welfare and charity projects, including poverty alleviation, student assistance, elderly care, and support for the disabled.
"It was a great success," Dr Gene Wood, founder and president of Word4Asia Consulting International, told China Christian Daily, "I'm told that the comments from government officials are positive, and we're looking forward to another in the future."
Themed "People-to-People Connectivity: Table Tennis Together for Love," this year's tournament featured four competition groups—juvenile, youth, middle-aged, and senior—along with a special friendship match.
Word4Asia brought two U.S. teams to compete in the two-day event, including a youth team for the first time, which later won third place among its peers. The senior team was still headed by two-time Olympian Lily Yip, who was born in China and has moved to the U.S. It won fourth place in the seniors' match.
The tournament was officially opened by Austin Preiss—men's singles and doubles champion and son of former U.S. national coach Scott Preiss—and Li Ju, former world champion and public welfare ambassador of the Amity Cup.
Dr Wood addressed the participants at the opening ceremony by recalling the historic story of China–U.S. "ping-pong diplomacy," according to the Amity Foundation. He emphasized that by using "a small ball to move the big ball," this year's tournament continued the tradition of promoting people-to-people friendship through table tennis.
Looking ahead, Dr Wood plans to bring a high school basketball team to China next year for a cultural exchange aimed at deepening mutual understanding between young people in both countries. The date is set for August 6 to 14, 2026.
"I have the joy of bringing the team from my high school in Auburn, Washington," He said. "They were the state champion in 2022 and won the regional championships almost every year.
Speaking about China, Dr Wood stated that the legal framework has remained consistent. "I read policies and regulations very seriously as a consultant, but I'm not aware that the laws have changed." Dr Wood added, "But under the heading of sinicization, there are definitely many different applications on the church ground."
"The application of the policies and regulations is changing," he said, "Having travelled to China [back and forth] for 25 years, I think that it's the leaders' responsibility —who know China best—to apply the regulations in a way that they think is best for the church and the country."
As the founder of a consulting firm, he often advises religious groups that turn to Word4Asia for leadership and guidance about China: come as a guest, not a host.
"My encouragement to foreign groups is, stop worrying too much about what we cannot do. Let's focus on what we can do together," he said. "We should ask ourselves: Where are we invited and where are we wanted? What is it that we might wish for us to do as friends?"
