International Table Tennis Federation facts for kids
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| Abbreviation | ITTF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1926 |
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
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Membership
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227 member associations |
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President
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Petra Sörling |
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the main group that runs the sport of table tennis around the world. Think of it as the boss for all the national table tennis clubs. The ITTF makes sure the rules are fair and helps improve the game with new technology. They also organize many big international games, like the World Table Tennis Championships, which started way back in 1926.
Contents
How the ITTF Started
The ITTF began in 1926. William Henry Lawes from England helped create it. Nine countries were the first members. These included Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, British India, Sweden, and Wales.
The very first international table tennis event happened in Berlin in January 1926. Later that year, in December, the first World Table Tennis Championships took place in London.
Changes to the Game
Around the year 2000, the ITTF made some big changes. They wanted table tennis to be more exciting to watch on TV. They changed the size of the ball from 38mm to 40mm. This made the ball slower and the game a bit less fast-paced.
In 2003, the ITTF moved its main office. It went from Hastings to Lausanne, Switzerland. They also opened the ITTF Museum there.
Helping Para Table Tennis
In 2007, the ITTF took over managing para table tennis. This is table tennis for athletes with disabilities. Before this, another group, the International Paralympic Committee, was in charge.
In 2008, the ITTF made new rules about players changing countries. These rules were made to help countries grow their own table tennis stars.
New Business and Leadership
In 2019, the ITTF started a new company called World Table Tennis (WTT). This company handles all the ITTF's business and events.
The ITTF's main office is still in Lausanne. They also have an office in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific region. The current president is Petra Sörling from Sweden. She became the eighth president in 2021.
| President | Years in Office |
|---|---|
| Ivor Montagu (England) | 1926–1967 |
| Roy Evans (Wales) | 1967–1987 |
| Ichiro Ogimura (Japan) | 1987–1994 |
| Lollo Hammarlund (Sweden) | 1994–1995 |
| Xu Yinsheng (China) | 1995–1999 |
| Adham Sharara (Canada) | 1999–2014 |
| Thomas Weikert (Germany) | 2014–2021 |
| Petra Sörling (Sweden) | 2021– |
Who Belongs to the ITTF
The ITTF works with five main groups for different continents. These are called continental federations. Right now, 227 national table tennis groups are members of the ITTF.
| Continent | Members | Continental Federation |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 54 | African Table Tennis Federation |
| America | 46 | Pan American Table Tennis Confederation |
| Asia | 45 | Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) |
| Europe | 58 | European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) |
| Oceania | 24 | Oceania Table Tennis Federation (OTTF) |
How the ITTF is Organized
All the member countries of the ITTF meet once a year. This meeting is called the Annual General Meeting (AGM). At the AGM, they talk about new rules and changes to how the ITTF works. They also vote on new members.
The president of the ITTF is chosen at this meeting. Eight executive vice-presidents and other representatives are also elected. These leaders serve for four years. The president and executive vice-presidents form a special group called the executive committee.
This executive committee, along with other leaders, makes up the Board of Directors. The Board helps manage the ITTF's work between the big annual meetings. Many smaller groups and committees also work under the ITTF's rules.
ITTF's Role in World Relations
The ITTF sometimes recognizes sports teams from places that other groups might not. For example, they recognized the table tennis group from Kosovo in 2003. This was even though many other sports groups did not.
The ITTF also played a part in "Ping Pong Diplomacy" in the 1970s. This was when the ITTF allowed the People's Republic of China to join in 1953. This led to friendly table tennis matches between China and the United States. It helped open up talks between the two countries.
The ITTF also allowed a unified team from Korea to play in the World Table Tennis Championships in 1991 and 2018.
In 2022, the ITTF stopped Russian and Belarusian players from competing. This was because of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, in March 2023, they changed this rule. Russian and Belarusian players can now play again. But they must play as neutral athletes. This means no flags or national symbols from their countries are allowed.
Rules of the Game
The ITTF sets the rules for table tennis. These rules help keep the game fair and exciting.
Player Eligibility Rules
For big ITTF events, a player needs to be registered with the ITTF. If a player wants to play for a new country, they must register again. They can then play for the new country after a certain number of years. This time depends on their age. For example, if a player is under 15, they can play for a new country after three years. If they are 21 or older, it takes nine years.
Serving and Scoring Changes
In 2001, the ITTF changed the scoring system. Games used to go to 21 points. Now, a game is won by the first player to score 11 points. If both players reach 10 points, one player must get a two-point lead to win. This change was made to make games faster and more thrilling.
The ITTF also changed the rules for serving. Players are no longer allowed to hide the ball when they serve. This rule helps make the game more exciting by leading to longer rallies. It also reduces the advantage the server used to have.
Speed Glue Ban
In 2007, the ITTF decided to ban "speed glue." This type of glue was used on rackets to make the ball go faster. The ban was put in place slowly. It started with junior events in 2008. By January 1, 2009, all speed glue was completely banned.
Competitions and Player Rankings
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The ITTF and its company, WTT, organize many international tournaments. The ITTF also keeps official world ranking lists. These lists show how well players are doing based on their results in tournaments all year.
Key: MT/WT: men's/women's team; MS/WS: men's/women's singles; MD/WD: men's/women's doubles; XD: mixed doubles
- Major International Events
| Competition Name | First Held | Happens Every | Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT | WT | MS | WS | MD | WD | XD | |||
| World Championships | 1926 | Odd-numbered year | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| World Team Championships | 1926 | Even-numbered year | • | • | |||||
| Summer Olympic Games | 1988 | Four years | • | • | • | • | • | ||
- Junior Events
| Competition Name | First Held | Happens Every | Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT | WT | MS | WS | MD | WD | XD | |||
| World Youth Championships | 2003 | One year | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| Summer Youth Olympic Games | 2010 | Four years | • | • | • | ||||
- Para Events
| Competition Name | First Held | Happens Every | Events | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT | WT | MS | WS | MD | WD | XD | |||
| Summer Paralympic Games | 1960 | Four years | • | • | • | • | |||
| World Para Table Tennis Championships | 1990 | Four years | • | • | • | • | |||
The ITTF Museum
The ITTF Museum used to be in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the ITTF's main office is. In 2014, the ITTF decided to move the museum to Shanghai, China. China was also planning its own Table Tennis Museum around that time.
The new ITTF Museum is now in the same building as the China Table Tennis Museum. They are on different floors. Shanghai University of Sport manages and runs both museums. They officially opened in 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Tenis de Mesa para niños
- List of international sports federations
- ITTF Hall of Fame
- ITTF Star Awards
- World Table Tennis (ITTF)
