TTS Borsum brings in new addition from Cyprus: Sharbel Elia is set to play in the 3rd Bundesliga

The Table Tennis Sports Club of 1951 Borsum e.V. (TTS Borsum) wants to strengthen its squad for the upcoming season in the 3rd TT-Bundesliga with an international player. According to the portal Sportnews Hildesheim, the club has signed the Cypriot Sharbel Elia. An independent, publicly available club statement officially confirming details such as contract duration, playing status, or sporting objectives was not available at the time of research.

What is reliable about the player – and what remains open

Elia is described in the report as a 20-year-old player from Nicosia. He is also classified there as a national player for Cyprus. For several sporting key facts often mentioned in transfer reports – such as national championship titles, a ranking as “number one” in the country, or specific club stations in Cyprus and Greece – no clear, citable confirmation could be found in verifiable, publicly accessible sources.

At the same time, there is an internationally reliable point of reference: The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) reported on Cyprus’s participation in the men’s team competition at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. According to this, Cyprus was eliminated in the quarterfinals against England; Elia played in matches against players from the English team. This at least substantiates that Elia played table tennis for Cyprus at a high-level multi-sport event.

U21 European Championship in Cluj-Napoca: Date confirmed, participation not

The next fixed point in the international calendar is the U21 European Championship in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). The ETTU lists Cluj-Napoca as the venue (mid-June 2026). Whether Elia will actually compete there for Cyprus is currently open, as there is no published entry list or official nomination.

Why the move to Lower Saxony is interesting from a sporting perspective

Regardless of individual, as yet unconfirmed performance data, the move to the 3rd TT-Bundesliga is a significant step from a sporting perspective: In Germany, young players encounter a dense league system, regularly strong opponents, and a training and competition culture in which development steps can be quickly measured.

For a player who already has international experience, such an environment can be the next logical step – provided he receives playing time and stable training structures.

It is also being discussed that Elia is to train in Bremen in parallel. So far, no publicly accessible confirmation from the environment of SV Werder Bremen has been found for this either. However, if this training connection proves to be true, it would increase the sporting value of the move: Additional sessions in a performance-oriented setting are often crucial for young players to adapt speed, variability, and resilience to a higher level.

For TTS Borsum, Elia – if the personnel matter materializes as reported and proves effective in sporting terms – would be more than just a supplementary player: a transfer with perspective. How quickly and how much he can actually help the team, however, will only become clear when club information, playing eligibility, and first appearances underpin the so far only partially substantiated personnel matter with verifiable facts.