The ITTF Task Force, created in March following the outbreak of war in Ukraine, met today to assess the current situation as the year 2022 is coming to an end.

The Task Force expressed satisfaction with the efforts to make Ukrainian players’ participation in several table tennis and para table tennis events possible through the fundraising campaign Table Tennis United organised by the ITTF Foundation, helping players as they navigate through the ongoing crises caused by the war in their country.

It welcomed and fully endorsed the Olympic Summit declaration of 9 December 2022, including the continued support for the Ukrainian athletes and sports community, and agrees with the importance of bringing together athletes from all countries regardless of their nationality.

Therefore, the Task Force endorsed the IOC Summit position to review the current protective measures restricting the participation of Russian and Belarussian athletes in international competition and looks forward to exploring potential options in this regard. Noting that Russian and Belarusian athletes were already competing professionally in several domestic leagues across Europe.

After the ITTF Executive Committee’s decision to follow the recommendations made by the IOC Executive Board on 28 February 2022, no Russian or Belarusian players and officials have been allowed in events hosted by the ITTF Group. The Task Force will evaluate future developments and will reassess the situation in the first weeks of 2023.