The
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the
governing bodyA sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for all national
table tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
associations.
Founding history
The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being
AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
,
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
,
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
,
HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
,
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The first international tournament was held in January 1926 in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
while the first
World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
was held in December 1926 in London.
The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the
World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
that has continued since 1926.
Toward the end of 2000, the ITTF instituted several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator sport. The older 38 mm balls were officially replaced by 40 mm balls. This increased the ball’s air resistance and effectively slowed down the game.
On February 29, 2008, the ITTF announced several rules changes after an ITTF Executive Meeting in
GuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
,
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with regards to a player's eligibility to play for a new association. The new ruling is to encourage associations to develop their own players.
There are currently 215 member associations within the ITTF. The headquarter of the ITTF is in
LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
,
SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The current
presidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the ITTF is Adham Sharara, from
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Organizational structure
The ITTF recognizes six continental federations. Each continental federation has a President as its top official and owns its Constitution. The followings are recognized federations:
| Continent |
Members |
Continental Federation |
| Africa |
46 |
African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) |
| Asia |
45 |
Asian Table Tennis Union The Asian Table Tennis Union is an Asian table tennis governing body formed on May 7, 1972, and recognized by International Table Tennis Federation in 1975...
(ATTU) |
| Europe |
56 |
European Table Tennis Union The European Table Tennis Union is the highest authoritative body of regulation and organization of table tennis in Europe regarded by International Table Tennis Federation. It was founded in 1957, and currently has 56 member associations...
(ETTU) |
| Latin America |
36 |
Latin American Table Tennis Union The Latin American Table Tennis Union , or Unión Latinoamericana de Tenis de Mesa in Spanish, is one of the table tennis continental federations recognized by International Table Tennis Federation...
(ULTM) |
| North America |
4 |
North American Table Tennis Union (NATTU) |
| Oceania |
22 |
Oceania Table Tennis Federation The Oceania Table Tennis Federation is a table tennis organization found on 1st June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation as its continental federation in Oceania....
(OTTF) |
All member associations of the ITTF attend Annual General Meeting (AGM). Agendas on changes of the Constitution, laws of table tennis, applications for membership etc are discussed and finalized through votes. Also, the President of ITTF, 8 Executive Vice-Presidents, and 32 or less continental representatives are elected at an AGM, serving for a four-year term. The President and Executive Vice-Presidents compose Executive Committee (EC). Further, the Executive Committee, continental representatives and Presidents of the 6 continental federations or their appointees compose the Board of Directors (BoD). The Board manages the work of the ITTF between AGMs. Several Committees, Commissions, Working Groups or panels work under the Constitution of ITTF or under the Board.
Role in diplomacy
Unlike the organizations for more popular sports, the ITTF tends to recognize teams from generally unrecognized governing bodies for disputed territory. For example, it currently recognizes the
Table Tennis Federation of KosovoThe Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Kosovo....
even though
KosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
is excluded from most other sports. It recognized the
People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1953 and allowed some basic diplomacy
which lead to an opening for U.S. President
Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, called "
Ping Pong DiplomacyPing pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping pong players between the United States and People's Republic of China in the 1970s. The event marked a thaw in U.S.–China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon....
", in the 1970s.
Player eligibility
For ITTF World Title events, a player is eligible to play for his association by registering with the ITTF. If the player chooses to play for a new association, he shall register with the ITTF, through the new association.
- The player shall not represent the new association before.
- The player will be eligible to play for the new association after three, five, seven years after the date of registration, if the player is under the age of 15, 18, 21 respectively
- If the player is 21 years of age or older, he will not be registered with the ITTF and not be eligible to represent a new association at World Title events.
Service and point system
The table tennis point system was reduced from a 21 to an 11 point scoring system in 2001. A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both players or pairs score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. This was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce the server’s advantage. Today, the game changes from time to time mainly to improve on the excitement for television viewers.
Speed glue ban
In 2007, ITTF’s Board of Directors in Zagreb decided to implement the VOC-free glue rule at Junior events, starting from January 1, 2008, as a transitional period before the full implementation of the VOC ban on September 1, 2008.
As of January 1, 2009, all speed glue was to have been banned.
Contests
Current ITTF Events and Olympic Games:
| Contest |
Inaugural Year |
Period |
ITTF Ranking |
Events
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing bodyA sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for all national table tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
associations.
Founding history
The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The first international tournament was held in January 1926 in BerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
while the first World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
was held in December 1926 in London.
The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
that has continued since 1926.
Toward the end of 2000, the ITTF instituted several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator sport. The older 38 mm balls were officially replaced by 40 mm balls. This increased the ball’s air resistance and effectively slowed down the game.
On February 29, 2008, the ITTF announced several rules changes after an ITTF Executive Meeting in GuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with regards to a player's eligibility to play for a new association. The new ruling is to encourage associations to develop their own players.
There are currently 215 member associations within the ITTF. The headquarter of the ITTF is in LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The current presidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the ITTF is Adham Sharara, from CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Organizational structure
The ITTF recognizes six continental federations. Each continental federation has a President as its top official and owns its Constitution. The followings are recognized federations:
| Continent |
Members |
Continental Federation |
| Africa |
46 |
African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) |
| Asia |
45 |
Asian Table Tennis Union The Asian Table Tennis Union is an Asian table tennis governing body formed on May 7, 1972, and recognized by International Table Tennis Federation in 1975...
(ATTU) |
| Europe |
56 |
European Table Tennis Union The European Table Tennis Union is the highest authoritative body of regulation and organization of table tennis in Europe regarded by International Table Tennis Federation. It was founded in 1957, and currently has 56 member associations...
(ETTU) |
| Latin America |
36 |
Latin American Table Tennis Union The Latin American Table Tennis Union , or Unión Latinoamericana de Tenis de Mesa in Spanish, is one of the table tennis continental federations recognized by International Table Tennis Federation...
(ULTM) |
| North America |
4 |
North American Table Tennis Union (NATTU) |
| Oceania |
22 |
Oceania Table Tennis Federation The Oceania Table Tennis Federation is a table tennis organization found on 1st June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation as its continental federation in Oceania....
(OTTF) |
All member associations of the ITTF attend Annual General Meeting (AGM). Agendas on changes of the Constitution, laws of table tennis, applications for membership etc are discussed and finalized through votes. Also, the President of ITTF, 8 Executive Vice-Presidents, and 32 or less continental representatives are elected at an AGM, serving for a four-year term. The President and Executive Vice-Presidents compose Executive Committee (EC). Further, the Executive Committee, continental representatives and Presidents of the 6 continental federations or their appointees compose the Board of Directors (BoD). The Board manages the work of the ITTF between AGMs. Several Committees, Commissions, Working Groups or panels work under the Constitution of ITTF or under the Board.
Role in diplomacy
Unlike the organizations for more popular sports, the ITTF tends to recognize teams from generally unrecognized governing bodies for disputed territory. For example, it currently recognizes the Table Tennis Federation of KosovoThe Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Kosovo....
even though KosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
is excluded from most other sports. It recognized the People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1953 and allowed some basic diplomacy
which lead to an opening for U.S. President Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, called "Ping Pong DiplomacyPing pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping pong players between the United States and People's Republic of China in the 1970s. The event marked a thaw in U.S.–China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon....
", in the 1970s.
Player eligibility
For ITTF World Title events, a player is eligible to play for his association by registering with the ITTF. If the player chooses to play for a new association, he shall register with the ITTF, through the new association.
- The player shall not represent the new association before.
- The player will be eligible to play for the new association after three, five, seven years after the date of registration, if the player is under the age of 15, 18, 21 respectively
- If the player is 21 years of age or older, he will not be registered with the ITTF and not be eligible to represent a new association at World Title events.
Service and point system
The table tennis point system was reduced from a 21 to an 11 point scoring system in 2001. A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both players or pairs score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. This was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce the server’s advantage. Today, the game changes from time to time mainly to improve on the excitement for television viewers.
Speed glue ban
{{See also|Speed glue}}
In 2007, ITTF’s Board of Directors in Zagreb decided to implement the VOC-free glue rule at Junior events, starting from January 1, 2008, as a transitional period before the full implementation of the VOC ban on September 1, 2008.
As of January 1, 2009, all speed glue was to have been banned.
Contests
Current ITTF Events and Olympic Games:
| Contest |
Inaugural Year |
Period |
ITTF Ranking |
Events
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing bodyA sport governing body is a sports organization that has a regulatory or sanctioning function. Sport governing bodies come in various forms, and have a variety of regulatory functions. Examples of this can include disciplinary action for rule infractions and deciding on rule changes in the sport...
for all national table tennisTable tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
associations.
Founding history
The ITTF was founded in 1926, the nine founding members being AustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, HungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The first international tournament was held in January 1926 in BerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
while the first World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
was held in December 1926 in London.
The role of the ITTF includes overseeing rules and regulations and seeking technological improvement for the sport of table tennis. The ITTF is responsible for the organization of numerous international competitions, including the World Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
that has continued since 1926.
Toward the end of 2000, the ITTF instituted several rules changes aimed at making table tennis more viable as a televised spectator sport. The older 38 mm balls were officially replaced by 40 mm balls. This increased the ball’s air resistance and effectively slowed down the game.
On February 29, 2008, the ITTF announced several rules changes after an ITTF Executive Meeting in GuangzhouGuangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
with regards to a player's eligibility to play for a new association. The new ruling is to encourage associations to develop their own players.
There are currently 215 member associations within the ITTF. The headquarter of the ITTF is in LausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The current presidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the ITTF is Adham Sharara, from CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Organizational structure
The ITTF recognizes six continental federations. Each continental federation has a President as its top official and owns its Constitution. The followings are recognized federations:
| Continent |
Members |
Continental Federation |
| Africa |
46 |
African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) |
| Asia |
45 |
Asian Table Tennis Union The Asian Table Tennis Union is an Asian table tennis governing body formed on May 7, 1972, and recognized by International Table Tennis Federation in 1975...
(ATTU) |
| Europe |
56 |
European Table Tennis Union The European Table Tennis Union is the highest authoritative body of regulation and organization of table tennis in Europe regarded by International Table Tennis Federation. It was founded in 1957, and currently has 56 member associations...
(ETTU) |
| Latin America |
36 |
Latin American Table Tennis Union The Latin American Table Tennis Union , or Unión Latinoamericana de Tenis de Mesa in Spanish, is one of the table tennis continental federations recognized by International Table Tennis Federation...
(ULTM) |
| North America |
4 |
North American Table Tennis Union (NATTU) |
| Oceania |
22 |
Oceania Table Tennis Federation The Oceania Table Tennis Federation is a table tennis organization found on 1st June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation as its continental federation in Oceania....
(OTTF) |
All member associations of the ITTF attend Annual General Meeting (AGM). Agendas on changes of the Constitution, laws of table tennis, applications for membership etc are discussed and finalized through votes. Also, the President of ITTF, 8 Executive Vice-Presidents, and 32 or less continental representatives are elected at an AGM, serving for a four-year term. The President and Executive Vice-Presidents compose Executive Committee (EC). Further, the Executive Committee, continental representatives and Presidents of the 6 continental federations or their appointees compose the Board of Directors (BoD). The Board manages the work of the ITTF between AGMs. Several Committees, Commissions, Working Groups or panels work under the Constitution of ITTF or under the Board.
Role in diplomacy
Unlike the organizations for more popular sports, the ITTF tends to recognize teams from generally unrecognized governing bodies for disputed territory. For example, it currently recognizes the Table Tennis Federation of KosovoThe Table Tennis Federation of Kosovo is the governing body responsible for table tennis in Kosovo....
even though KosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
is excluded from most other sports. It recognized the People's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
in 1953 and allowed some basic diplomacy
which lead to an opening for U.S. President Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
, called "Ping Pong DiplomacyPing pong diplomacy refers to the exchange of ping pong players between the United States and People's Republic of China in the 1970s. The event marked a thaw in U.S.–China relations that paved the way to a visit to Beijing by President Richard Nixon....
", in the 1970s.
Player eligibility
For ITTF World Title events, a player is eligible to play for his association by registering with the ITTF. If the player chooses to play for a new association, he shall register with the ITTF, through the new association.
- The player shall not represent the new association before.
- The player will be eligible to play for the new association after three, five, seven years after the date of registration, if the player is under the age of 15, 18, 21 respectively
- If the player is 21 years of age or older, he will not be registered with the ITTF and not be eligible to represent a new association at World Title events.
Service and point system
The table tennis point system was reduced from a 21 to an 11 point scoring system in 2001. A game shall be won by the player or pair first scoring 11 points unless both players or pairs score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player or pair subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. This was intended to make games more fast-paced and exciting. The ITTF also changed the rules on service to prevent a player from hiding the ball during service, in order to increase the average length of rallies and to reduce the server’s advantage. Today, the game changes from time to time mainly to improve on the excitement for television viewers.
Speed glue ban
{{See also|Speed glue}}
In 2007, ITTF’s Board of Directors in Zagreb decided to implement the VOC-free glue rule at Junior events, starting from January 1, 2008, as a transitional period before the full implementation of the VOC ban on September 1, 2008.
As of January 1, 2009, all speed glue was to have been banned.
Contests
Current ITTF Events and Olympic Games:
| Contest |
Inaugural Year |
Period |
ITTF Ranking |
Events{{Ref|a|[a]|} |
}
|-
!Ranking
!Bonus
!MT
!WT
!MS
!WS
!MD
!WD
!XD
|-
|align=left| Olympic GamesTable tennis competition has been in the Summer Olympic Games since 1988, with singles and doubles events for both men and women. Athletes from China have dominated the sport, winning a total of 41 medals in 24 events, including 20 gold medals.-Events:...
|1988
|4-Yearly
|R1
|B1
|•
|•
|•
|•
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| World ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
|1926
|Odd-Numbered Year
|R1
|B1
|
|
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|-
|align=left| World Team ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
|1926
|Even-Numbered Year
|R1
|
|•
|•
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| Men's World CupThe Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
|1980
|Yearly
|R1
|B2
|
|
|•
|
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| Women's World CupThe Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
|1996
|Yearly
|R1
|B2
|
|
|
|•
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| World Team CupThe Table Tennis World Cup has been held annually since 1980. There had been only men's singles until the inauguration of women's singles in 1996 and team competitions in 1990. The team competitions, the World Team Cup, were canceled until the relaunch in 2007, and now held in odd-numbered years...
|1990
|Odd-Numbered Year
|R1
|
|•
|•
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| Tournament of Champions
|2007
|Yearly
|R2
|B2
|
|
|•
|•
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| China vs. World Challenge
|2009
|Yearly
|R2
|
|•
|•
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| ITTF Volkswagen Cup
|2010
|Every Year
|R2
|B2
|
|
|•
|•
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| ITTF Pro TourThe ITTF Pro Tour is a series of table tennis tournaments introduced by International Table Tennis Federation in 1996, in order to improve the quality of the sport. It includes 6 events: Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Men's and Women's Singles Under 21...
|1996
|10~ Times Every Year
|R2
|B3
|
|
|•
|•
|•
|•
|
|-
|align=left| ITTF Pro Tour Grand FinalsThe ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals is an annual table tennis tournament sanctioned by International Table Tennis Federation at the end of the year. The tournament includes six events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, U21 men's and women's singles...
|1996
|Yearly
|R2
|B2
|
|
|•
|•
|•
|•
|
|-
|align=left| Youth Olympic GamesThe Youth Olympic Games is an international multi-sport event first held in Singapore from August 14 to August 26, 2010. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format. The age limitation of the athletes is between 14 to 18...
|2010
|4-Yearly
|R1
|B3
|colspan=2| •
|•
|•
|
|
|
|-
|align=left| World Junior ChampionshipsThe World Junior Table Tennis Championships is an annual table tennis competition for juniors under 18. The tournament has been held by International Table Tennis Federation since 2003.- Winners :...
|2003
|Yearly
|R1
|B3
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|-
|align=left| ITTF Global Junior Circuit
|1992
|20~ Times Every Year
|R2
|B4
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|
|-
|align=left| ITTF Global Cadet Challenge
|2003
|Yearly
|R2
|B4
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|•
|
|}
a. {{note|a}} MT/WT: Men's/Women's Teams; MS/WS: Men's/Women's Singles; MD/WD: Men's/Women's Doubles; XD: Mixed Doubles
ITTF world ranking
The ITTF keeps an updated ranking considering the results of all the aforementioned competitions. The following table shows the TOP 20 players considering the current ITTF world ranking.
{{ITTF world ranking}}
External links
46.532134°N 6.595596°W
{{International Sports Federations}}
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