ITTF

New Platform For Table Tennis Tournaments

July 2, 2018

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has signed an agreement with sports marketing agency Sportsmaster to set up a new professional platform for tournaments from 2021.

The new professional platform will include the existing World Tour, Challenge Series, the Veterans Tour, the T2APAC League and the Table Tennis X, with the aim of raising the players’ profiles globally and to increase the amount of prize money.

Changes to tournament rules, to attract more fans and commercial interests, are also possible from 2021.

As part of the deal, T2APAC – whose parent company is Sportsmaster – will be granted rights to arrange Diamond-level events in 2019 and 2020.

ITTF President, Thomas Weikert, said: “This is potentially one of the most significant steps that we have taken as a federation. It is a great step for us as we professionalize the sport and create a brand new proposition for the players and fans together with the ITTF family.

“This change is a result of many years of support and synergy with various partners in the sport. We must acknowledge the vision of Mr Frank JI who has spearheaded the development of this partnership.”

Sportsmaster Founder, Frank Ji, stated: “Table tennis has massive untapped commercial potential.  Over the past few years, we’ve worked with the ITTF to unlock this commercial potential and believe that together we can professionalize and turn table-tennis into a leading sport globally.”

ITTF