(ATR) Guinea Bissau is the 226th and final national association to be accepted into the International Table Tennis Federation.
The ITTF is now the first International Sports Federation to have every country around the world as a member.
A welcoming and flag handover ceremony hosted by ITTF president Thomas Weikert was held on May 6 in celebration of Guinea Bissau's acceptance.
"I am very glad to have the possibility to see with my own eyes the situation of an Association starting from zero," Thomas Weikert shared during the ceremony according to a release.
"Bringing Table Tennis to all parts of the world was a priority for the ITTF and I am really happy to see this process ended, but we have to be aware that the challenges don’t end here but rather change the priority into empowering."
The ceremony was also host to 70 children who were able to participate in table tennis for the first time.
Guinea Bissau will receive $25,000 in technical support from sponsor Seamaster as well as $5,000 in equipment support from Stag International as part of their acceptance.
The official approval of Guinea Bissau will be made during the ITTF's general meeting on May 31 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Written by Courtney Colquitt
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