The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has become the first International Sports Federation to have every country on earth as a member, achieving the milestone of 226 member associations after the induction of Bahamas, Cape Verde, Eritrea and Guinea Bissau has been officially approved at the ITTF Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 31 May 2017.
The milestone of 226 member associations means that table tennis built its presence in all corners of the globe, and being played in all countries and territories on earth.
ITTF President Thomas WEIKERT who was in Guinea Bissau to celebrate the founding of the Guinea Bissau Table Tennis Federation, shared "For the ITTF and for myself, our small associations have been a clear priority for many years, thanks to the dedicated work of the ITTF Development Department. Our focus must now be the empowerment of our smallest and most recent members, and through our ITTF Marketing Department have secured the support of Seamaster to achieve this."
"This has been a great team effort from many people, from ITTF Development and Education staff, to Continental Presidents, to ITTF Course Conductors and many others" stated ITTF Deputy CEO Glenn TEPPER who is in charge of Development and Education & Training, and started the ITTF Development Program back in 1999.
Plaques were presented to the new members at the AGM, followed by the release of a "Pingsider" video, subtitled in English, French, Arabic & Spanish, to celebrate Guinea Bissau as the 226th & final member. Watch it here.
Following the official induction into the ITTF family, these 4 new members will receive US$25,000 technical support from Seamaster, who is also the title sponsor of the ITTF World Tour, and US$5,000 equipment support from Stag International, alongside empowerment through coach education and organizational development.
Media Contact
High resolution photos will be available on request. For more information and photos, please contact: media@ittfmail.com
For any other questions or queries, please contact ITTF's Head of Communications
Matt Pound at mpound@ittfmail.com.
Notes to the Editor
About International Table Tennis Federation
The International Table Tennis Federation is responsible for the global sport of table tennis and has 222 affiliated National Associations. Table Tennis is an Olympic Sport, introduced at the 1988 Seoul Olympics Games. Table Tennis is also a Paralympic Sport, introduced at the 1960 Rome Paralympic Games.
Find out more about the International Table Tennis Federation at ITTF.com
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