(ATR) The ITTF World Tour and T2 Asia & Pacific Table Tennis League are joining together in an effort to grow both properties for the betterment of global table tennis.
The collaboration will involve the ITTF World Tour incorporating certain elements from T2, such as using multiple balls during matches, increased player promotion, player contracts and broadcast innovations.
"I see many synergies between the two properties, which is why this collaboration makes sense, so ITTF and T2 can work more closely together and achieve my goal of table tennis being a flourishing commercial sport," Frank Ji, the founder & chairman of T2, said in a statement. Ji is also chairman of Seamaster, the title sponsor of the ITTF World Tour.
"We are very happy to have people like Frank Ji in our sport, we need more passion, more ideas and more energy," ITTF President Thomas Weikert said during the signing ceremony.
"With Mr. Frank Ji on board, we have been able to innovate and develop the 2017 ITTF World Tour, which resulted in record prize money, record TV viewership and record TV interest."
The agreement will also turn T2 into the ITTF’s competition laboratory. New innovations such as ball tracking spin and speed or a system where players can challenge an umpire’s decision can be tested to see if the concepts are fit for official ITTF competitions.
The first event of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour will be the Hungarian Open, which begins Jan. 18.
Omega Begins Lausanne 2020 Countdown
The Olympic capital is now counting down the days to the 2020 Youth Olympic Games with help from TOP Olympic sponsor Omega.
The Official Timekeeper of the Olympic and Youth Olympic Games, Omega established the two-year countdown clock in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 10.
Attendees of the event included Lausanne 2020 President and IOC member Patrick Baumann, Omega President Raynald Aeschlimann and Lausanne 2020 Coordination Commission chair Danka Bartekova, among others.
When the clock reaches zero on Jan. 10, 2020, the Winter Youth Olympics will officially begin and will be the first Winter Games to feature complete gender parity with the same number of male and female athletes.
Organizers expect more than 1,800 athletes from more than 70 countries to compete in the 81 events that comprise the Winter YOG.
"OMEGA is truly looking forward to Lausanne 2020," Omega President Aeschlimann said in a statement. "To be in this special location to serve the best young athletes in the world will be a great privilege. Of course, Switzerland is OMEGA's home, so we'll have an extra feeling of pride when we welcome the world here."
"We look forward to continuing this momentum for the next two years and are pleased to celebrate 'Two Years To Go' today alongside OMEGA, a partner which shares these same values with us and confirms its support to the Olympic Movement in all its facets," Baumann added.
The Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympics are scheduled for Jan. 10-22.
Nike Unveils Medal-Stand Uniforms for Team USA
Nike and the United States Olympic Committee unveiled the medal-stand uniforms for Team USA athletes this week.
The five-piece outfit was designed to keep Team USA medal winners warm as they celebrate their crowning achievements.
With the exception of ice hockey, all medal ceremonies in PyeongChang will be held in open-air arenas where temperatures are expected to be below freezing.
"Nike has once again designed unparalleled medal-stand uniforms for the 2018 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams," said Lisa Baird, USOC chief marketing officer, in a statement. "The American spirit and style are seamlessly united to complement the fortitude of America’s finest athletes."
The Nike Team USA Medal Stand Collection will be available Jan. 15 in select Nike retail stores and on Nike.com, while TeamUSAShop.com will carry items from Nike’s Team USA Collection.
Written by Gerard Farek and Kevin Nutley
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