Spanning a 70-minute duration, 180 unique viewers, excluding ITTF Executive Committee members and staff, followed the conference live, for a total of 220+ attendees.

ITTF European Marketing Manager Jonny Cowan once again fulfilled the role of moderator, welcoming everyone in attendance before introducing ITTF Deputy President Mr. Khalil Al Mohannadi, who is responsible for the World Championships portfolio. The conference structure saw both candidates put forward bid presentations followed by 10-minute Q&A sessions, shedding light on information surrounding the facilities and key issues such as visa processes.

The first bid presentation came courtesy of Durban, South Africa. President of the South Africa Table Tennis Board (SATTB) Mr. Joe Carim was joined by other important figures involved in the process to discuss some of the finer details surrounding the bid:

• Ms Hajera Kajee SATTB VP Administration
• Mr Thabang Tsheiso SATTB VP Competitions
• Ms Sonto Mayise Chief Director KZN Convention Bureau
• Mr Vusi Mazibuko General Manager: Moses Mabhida Stadium

Then it was the second candidate’s turn to showcase its bid. A special video presentation of the German city of Düsseldorf was aired, featuring a warm welcome from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. President of the Deutscher Tischtennis-Bund (DTTB) Mr. Michael Geiger was then accompanied by DTTB Secretary General Mr. Matthias Vatheuer to outline Düsseldorf’s plans to host the 2023 World Championships.

Strong presentations from both candidate cities, the bidding process for the 2023 World Championships has been hailed a success:

“I think ITTF has emerged victorious from the bidding process for the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships, seeing two strong bids and eye-catching presentations. In my opinion it reflects benefits of the changes made by ITTF in the WTTC playing system, allowing more flexibility, and bids, from different regions across the world. Finally, I would like to wish both applicants, Düsseldorf in Germany and Durban in South Africa, the very best of luck.” Khalil Al Mohannadi, ITTF Deputy President

“Both candidate Associations presented very strong bids. It is clear that the Local Organising Committees and the cities are ready to welcome the Table Tennis family. I would like to thank them for their efforts, and we look forward to working with them.” Gabor Felegyi, ITTF interim Competition Director

The World Championships 2023 conference completes the six-part video series leading up the 2020 ITTF virtual Annual General Meeting, scheduled to take place on Monday 28th September at 13:00 CEST.

You can find all six video conferences here.