The ITTF Executive Board convened in Singapore on 17 March in parallel with the Singapore Smash 2023 and received a warm welcome by Sport Singapore. They presented Chairman Kon Yin Tong with a token of appreciation as a gesture of gratitude for the extensive support provided. The second edition of the Singapore Smash organised by World Table Tennis was met with great satisfaction from the Board members, who praised the organisation for improving the presentation of the sport and enhancing fan engagement. The Board expressed its confidence that table tennis will continue to grow in popularity and captivate audiences around the world.
The Board validated a Sustainability Action Plan 2025 defining the concrete steps to be taken to meet the commitments, with its plan articulated through the three P’s – People, Planet, Prosperity. The hope is that through these initiatives, the people within the table tennis community will directly benefit from its effects, while positively impacting the planet and achieving prosperity in the sport through supporting long-term economic growth by developing table tennis activities that generate value beyond financial profitability.
In line with this, sustainability has now been acknowledged as a crucial part of the organisation’s strategic policies and will be added to the ITTF Strategic Plan 2025, which was reviewed by the Board during this meeting.
The new Strategic plan will now be circulated to Member Associations and submitted for approval at the Annual General Meeting later this year. It outlines the vision, mission, and goals, as well as the strategies and tactics that will be used to achieve them.
Additionally, the Board announced its new initiative towards promoting gender equality which was kickstarted earlier this year when a Gender and Diversity (GEDI) meeting was held in Durban, South Africa. The ITTF Group’s GEDI plan will guide future actions to ensure that gender and diversity targets are met. The plan includes specific actions to promote women’s leadership and gender equality in governance models, close the investment gap in women’s sports, and provide equal economic opportunities for women and girls. Furthermore, the plan supports equal opportunities for girls in sports, physical activity, and physical education.
A baseline survey will now be distributed to all Member Associations and Continental Federations globally, gathering essential input on gender and diversity issues within the sport and the organisation. Through these initiatives, the ITTF is taking tangible measures to promote gender equality in table tennis and beyond.
The Board has also reviewed potential improvements to its IT infrastructure and reinforced its dedication to safeguarding security and data privacy. Furthermore, they are considering a modification to the system for event registration.
The next meeting of the Executive Board will take place during the ITTF World Championships Finals Durban 2023.