Author(s): Sagar Chandrakant Chede and Dr. Sandeep Bhalla

Abstract:
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for all national table tennis associations. 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 Championships that has continued since 1926. Table tennis is Olympic Sport since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, also a Paralympic Sport and on program on all Multisport Games. The ITTF instituted some key changes in the rules of the game following the 2000 Olympics games. The amendments were mainly aimed at enhancing the game’s viability as a spectator sport that could be televised. Among the new changes was the increasing of the ball’s diameter to 40 millimetres. Soon thereafter, the ITTF changed the game’s scoring system from 21-point to 11-point system in 2014. The serve rotation was also brought down from five points to two. Soon thereafter, the global federation of the game changed the rules and effectively prohibited players from hiding balls during service. In nutshell, the ITTF, founded in 1926, is the world-governing body of the sport and the largest International Federation with 220 affiliated National Associations. The ITTF supervises the staging of annual World Championships involving over 800 players from all continents, and 80-90 international tournaments sanctioned by the ITTF yearly. The ITTF governs and develops the sport for the benefit of over 30 million competitive players worldwide. The related problems associated with the said game are analyzed and the prospects for possible solutions evaluated.

Pages: 171-173  |  697 Views  134 Downloads