Petra Sorling is re-elected president of ITTF. Photo: ITTF

Steve Dainton, chief executive officer of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), apologized to the public for the confusion and disruption surrounding the ITTF's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday after doubts over the voting process, according to a report by the Beijing Youth Daily. 

"We sincerely apologize for the current confusion. After discussions with the president Petra Sörling, we have decided to temporarily suspend the AGM. We will attempt to sit down with both parties and try to find some solutions," Dainton said.

Sörling was re-elected president of the ITTF at the AGM in Doha on Tuesday. Sörling received 104 votes, while the other candidate, Khalil Al-Mohannadi, received 102, according to a report by ITTF.

But participants at the meeting raised doubts during the roll-call voting process. While only 16 member associations were counted as present online, the final tally showed 21 online votes.

The AGM had to be suspended after it was disrupted by outsiders. 

As a result of this suspension, the AGM will reconvene specifically to conduct the election of the vice presidents. Sörling will announce the new date in due course. This resumption must take place no later than November 2025 to comply with the four-year term of office for the Executive Board, as stipulated in the ITTF Constitution, according to ITTF. 

Legendary Chinese table tennis player Liu Guoliang, 49, who recently stepped down as president of Chinese Table Tennis Association, participated in the election for the new ITTF Executive Committee at the AGM.

During his candidate speech, Liu briefly outlined his vision, ideas and philosophy for the development of table tennis.

"China's strength in table tennis is widely recognized, but we have always believed that our contribution to the sport should go beyond simply winning titles. I have always maintained that only by raising the overall level of table tennis worldwide can we expand the sport's influence to more countries and regions, attract more young people to participate, gain greater attention and sponsorships, and ultimately enhance the value and image of both the sport and its players. This is the path to ensuring the sport's sustainable development," Liu said as reported by The Paper.

Global Times