The Executive Committee decided to re-activate the “Home of Table Tennis” project during a meeting held in Malmö, Sweden, on 26 and 27 July. The first step will be a review of the concept in light of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.

Launched in 2019, the project aimed at finding the global Home of Table Tennis, comprising the ITTF Headquarters, a Training Centre, a High-Performance & Development base, plus a laboratory for research and investigation.

A tender process launched, requests from several candidate cities had already been received when the COVID-19 pandemic started disrupting the world, putting the project on pause.

Executive Vice President Masahiro Maehara has now been tasked with the mission of reviewing the concept of the project.

“We had received numerous expressions of interest, and cities are now looking for opportunities to stimulate their economies. That is why we believe the time has come for us to resume our search. Our clear objective is to identify mutually beneficial partnerships. However, the world has dramatically changed in two years. Teleworking, lockdowns, and travel restrictions, we have to incorporate the learnings of the pandemic into the ‘Home of Table Tennis’ concept. I will start working on this immediately and provide my fellow Executive Members with recommendations on how to carry on with this project.”
— Executive Vice President Masahiro Maehara