Balancing demanding university studies with competitive sport is no easy task, but for one Palacký University student, table tennis has remained an important part of life in Olomouc. Alongside studying Dentistry, she has continued developing her sporting career and recently achieved an impressive result at the Czech International Open in table tennis, winning first place in the team competition and third place in the individual event. Read Nilia Naghibi’s story and discover how she combines her studies with her passion for table tennis.
Table tennis has been an important part of my life since I was around nine and a half years old. I first started playing because of my father, who introduced me to the sport, and over time, it became a much bigger part of my life than I had ever expected.
Before moving to the Czech Republic, I played competitively in Iran, was a member of the national team, and had the opportunity to participate in the Asian Championships, where I finished fifth in Asia.
After moving to Olomouc to study Dentistry at Palacký University, my studies naturally became my main priority. However, my family and several of my university friends encouraged me not to give up table tennis and to look for opportunities to continue playing here as well. Their support motivated me to search for a club in Olomouc, and eventually, I found one and started working as a table tennis coach.
Later, I also returned to competition and participated in the Czech International Open in Olomouc. I was very happy to win first place in the team competition and third place in the individual competition.
For me, this experience was especially meaningful because it showed me that even while adapting to a new country and studying a demanding university programme, it is still possible to keep an important part of your previous life with you and continue developing it in a new environment.
