The ITTF is leaving Russia and Belarus out of the World Team Table Tennis Championship, sticking to the decision it made on March 1, 2022 when, following the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee, it announced that athletes, as well as officials from the two countries, are banned indefinitely from its events due to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The World Championship will be held in the Chinese city of Chengdu from September 30 to October 9 and the ITTF wanted to review the case because the national teams of the two countries were on the list of those who had gained the right to participate. With the war going on, however, and the incalculable catastrophic consequences it would be almost impossible to change the decision on the occasion of the World Championship.
The relevant ITTF statement reads: “The International Table Tennis Federation Board of Directors has confirmed that the federations of Russia and Belarus are not allowed to compete in the finals of the 2022 World Team Championship in Chengdu, China. It is a decision that was announced during a meeting in Malmö, Sweden on the 26th and 27th of the month.
As is known, the ITTF Governing Council had decided on March 1, 2022 not to allow the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in its own competitive events, as stipulated by the recommendations from the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board.
The ITTF task force, which monitors the situation in Ukraine, coordinates efforts to allow Ukrainian athletes to continue participating in table tennis competitions and evaluates past decisions and future developments, had informed the board before the meeting that the conditions that would allow this decision to be overturned.
Two months before the finals of the 2022 World Team Championship, the ITTF and the Chengdu Preparatory Committee are accelerating their preparations. The Executive Committee was pleased with the progress made on COVID-19 countermeasures to ensure that all participants arrive smoothly, participate safely and return safely. The full set of instructions will be available in August.”
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