by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

It will be the third time that the award has been made; the first recipient being Austria’s Liu Jia for advising the umpire that the ball had touched the table in her contest against China’s Li Xiaoxia at the 2014 Women’s World Cup.

The second winners were Kosovo’s Linor Citaku and Vlona Maloku.

On the first day of the Qoros 2015 World Championships; their first round opponents in the Mixed Doubles event were Kenya’s Harshill Shah and Sejal Thakkar. The Kenyans failed the racket test and did not have spare rackets. It meant they had to forfeit the match.

Immediately, Linor Citaku and Vlona Maloku lent their opponents their spare rackets so the match could proceed.

The Umpires and Referees Committee of the International Table Tennis Federation is the nominating body, with a panel consisting of the ITTF President and two members of the Athletes’ Commission selecting the winner.

Star Awards: Vote here for 2016 ITTF Fair Play Award