It is the final days to register to be a candidate for the International Table Tennis Federation’s Athletes Commission.

The ITTF publishes a visual guide to encourage players to get involved. This is a chance for athletes to have greater say in the future direction of the sport of table tennis. A total of 10 spots are open for the committee, serving a term of four years.

The spots are reserved for:

• 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.

All members of the Athletes Commission will be invited to the upcoming ITTF Summit in December in Amman, Jordan. At the summit, the commission along with IOC Athletes’ Commission member Ryu Seung-Min, will elect two chairs to sit on the ITTF Executive Committee. For the first time the two chairs will be one man and one woman to ensure gender parity.

Ryu says that athletes should take advantage of the opportunities available to them by running for the commission, since it is the biggest platform for their views to be heard and can directly influence the direction of the federation.

“More engagement from the athletes will have a positive impact on the future of our sport,” Ryu said. “Since I was elected for the IOC Athletes Commission, I discovered how much athletes can contribute and make their voice heard. I can only recommend players to be more involved, more aware to make an impact on their sport. Table Tennis cannot have better representatives than those who work hard every day to perfect their craft. By voicing their issues directly to the ITTF the Athletes Commission is invaluable.”

The deadline date for nomination is Wednesday 12th October 2022. Nominations must be submitted with the following requirements:

• 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

Once the Nomination Commission vets candidates, the full list of eligible 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.

Full information about the requirements to take part in the Athletes’ Commission election can be found here.