During a meeting in Malmö, Sweden, on 26 and 27 July, the ITTF Executive Committee confirmed the Table Tennis Federation of Russia (TTFR) and Belarus will not be allowed to compete in the Chengdu 2022 ITTF World Team Championships Finals.

The Executive Committee had decided on 1 March 2022 not to allow the participation of TTFR and Belarusian players in ITTF events, in line with the recommendations formulated by the IOC Executive Board.

The ITTF task force which monitors the situation in Ukraine, co-ordinates efforts to allow Ukrainian players to continue participating in table tennis competitions, and evaluates previous decisions and future developments, had advised the Executive Committee the conditions that would allow overturning this decision had not been met.

A two-month-to-go milestone on Saturday 30 July for the Chengdu 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals, the ITTF and the Chengdu Preparatory Committee are accelerating their preparations. The Executive Committee was pleased by the progress made regarding the COVID-19 countermeasures to ensure all participants arrive smoothly, participate securely, and return safely. The complete set of guidelines will be available in August.