Initiated by the late Ichiro Ogimura, some 30 years ago when President of the International Table Tennis Federation, nominations for members of the Athletes Commission are invited.
The Athletes Commission is an elected body which serves as a link between the athletes and the ITTF, ensuring the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the decisions of the governing body. As the ITTF continues to work towards more gender-balanced representation, for the first time, two members of the Athletes’ Commission – one male and one female – will sit on the Executive Committee.
The deadline date for nomination is Wednesday 12th October 2022. Nominations must be submitted as follows:
- The Nomination and Declaration Form must be signed by an approved official designated for such purposes by the member association making the submission.
- A candidate’s curriculum vitae must be presented
After the vetting process of the Nomination Committee, candidates will be unveiled on Friday 21st October. They will be allowed to campaign for two weeks, according to the regulations.
Voting will be online, using LUMI ®, from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th November with winners announced on Monday 14th November. If there is a tie for one or more positions, a second round will open for 72 hours.
The tenure of office is four years, a total of 10 candidates forms the Commission:
- Eight athletes who have competed in at least one World Championships or World Team Championships since 2014; each continent – Africa, Asia, Americas, Europe, Oceania – is eligible for at least one representative. Both genders must be represented.
- Two Para athletes, one standing and one wheelchair, who have competed in at least one Para World Championships since 2014.
In December, the 10 elected members will be invited to the ITTF Summit. Alongside Ryu Seung-min, member of the IOC Athletes Commission, they will elect two chairs, from different genders, in addition to two deputy chairs.
The elected chairs will serve as members of the ITTF Executive Committee for the period 2022 to 2026.
More information is available here.