Everything you need to know: ITTF Presidency 2017!

[Der_Echte]

The HULK needs to get elected and get GREEN good and angry. That, or Elmer Fudd needs to bring a lot of shotgun shells with him.

 

[yoass]

So you're saying he has a chance, then?

 

[sanavasaraja]

Only Jean Michel can Saive us!

 

[tropical]

I really don't give a damn. All the ITTF rule changes have disappointed me. The next president is just another clown.

 

[Zaid323918]

I really hope it's Saive cuz all Weikret did was set up tables in places that people have never heard of, anger everyone with all the rule changes, and broadcast TT in 0 fps on more TVs.

 

[yoass]

I really don't give a damn. All the ITTF rule changes have disappointed me. The next president is just another clown.

It maybe me.. but to express discontent about past policy whilst simultaneously stating not to care, how is that a consistent position?

If you don't give a damn, then you're not disappointed. And if you're really disappointed, well, then it turns out that you do care.

One may not expect much and have given up hope, but that's a different thing from not caring anymore.

As for me, when confronted with poor policy and little prospect of improvement, I don't think the "well, **** it then" helps improve things. Quite the contrary; the more people give up. the more corruption, decadence and power games get a free reign. And yes, there's a realm of small improvements to be achieved by very modestly taking action and improve things. It's not sexy, it's hard work, often unrewarding, but we should let go of the fantasy that all it takes to mend all wrongs is top-down, with the right strongperson issuing decrees.

It's easier to complain and act cynical and aloof, but that doesn't help. It's doing the little things that help. So stop all that bitching about the powers that be, and start working from the ground up, folks.

If you want better facilities, improve them. If you want more opening hours, volunteer. Clean the facilities. Do a little maintenance. Shell out a few $$. Help a beginner get started with some of your EJ-ed surplus instead of the sub-1$ junk they're walking into the club with, so they'll get a chance to experience the actual game and to develop basic techniques. Help them train.

Sweat the small stuff. It matters and it may be the only thing that matters.

 

[tropical]

It maybe me.. but to express discontent about past policy whilst simultaneously stating not to care, how is that a consistent position?

If you don't give a damn, then you're not disappointed. And if you're really disappointed, well, then it turns out that you do care.

One may not expect much and have given up hope, but that's a different thing from not caring anymore.

As for me, when confronted with poor policy and little prospect of improvement, I don't think the "well, **** it then" helps improve things. Quite the contrary; the more people give up. the more corruption, decadence and power games get a free reign. And yes, there's a realm of small improvements to be achieved by very modestly taking action and improve things. It's not sexy, it's hard work, often unrewarding, but we should let go of the fantasy that all it takes to mend all wrongs is top-down, with the right strongperson issuing decrees.

It's easier to complain and act cynical and aloof, but that doesn't help. It's doing the little things that help. So stop all that bitching about the powers that be, and start working from the ground up, folks.

If you want better facilities, improve them. If you want more opening hours, volunteer. Clean the facilities. Do a little maintenance. Shell out a few $$. Help a beginner get started with some of your EJ-ed surplus instead of the sub-1$ junk they're walking into the club with, so they'll get a chance to experience the actual game and to develop basic techniques. Help them train.

Sweat the small stuff. It matters and it may be the only thing that matters.

I don't care how philological you may sound as you just don't get it. To some people, after years of witnessing a lot of clowns fooling and messing around with rules we are fed up and don't care anymore. Cynical it may sound but it is true feeling.

 

[yoass]

You can either choose to keep whining and moaning, or you can choose to act, do some good, and have some fun doing it. Up to you; don't expect things to improve, though, if all you do is sit on your ass while bitterly lamenting the status quo.

 

[Baal]

You can either choose to keep whining and moaning, or you can choose to act, do some good, and have some fun doing it. Up to you; don't expect things to improve, though, if all you do is sit on your ass while bitterly lamenting the status quo.

I kind of get where tropical is coming from on this, as right now there is no actual action we can take to change the ITTF. Remember, WE don't get to vote. The fix is in. It is not like they respond to the rank and file, either.

It's the same reason Sepp Blatter kept his job as long as he did, and only when it looked like he would be indicted in the US for money laundering was a change made. FIFA and ITTF are organized the same way (only ITTF lacks real money).

 

[ttpshot]

Saive has been one of my favorite player for a long time. Love how he plays and his sportsmanship is very eye pleasing. It doesn't mean he'd be a great sports admin though. So I would separate my sentiment towards him from the election. Former players are just as likely to corrupt or be incompetent as other candidates if not more.

Having said that, I'm not very happy with how ITTF has been handling boosters and balls issue so I'd say anyone but Weikert would be fine.

As for the election is already rigged argument, a new president would have hard time administrating if he can't even pursuade the majority at the election(fair or not) so the fittest would survive I guess.

 

[yoass]

I kind of get where tropical is coming from on this, as right now there is no actual action we can take to change the ITTF.

That may or may not be true, the fix may or may not be in, and Weikert may or may not be an incompetent and/or malignant and/or corrupt shill.

Even so, the ITTF is not a goal in itself. For those that care about table tennis it is a means at best, a tool. And if that tool is broken, so be it, and there are still things within everybody's reach to be done that are beneficial to the game.

I get where that bitterness comes from, but I just don't think disillusionment with global power structures is an excuse to stop at the complaining stage. Quite the contrary, if anything at all it's a stronger incentive to improve things that are within reach.

And I'm tired about all these people whining, moping, bitching whilst sitting on their ass. And then complain even more when nothing changes, as if your own apathy is a part of the global conspiration that intends to keep you down.

And I really do think it strange to utter "I don't give a damn" right next to "the ITTF rule changes disappointed me". If you were disappointed, you did give a damn. And if you stop there and just give up, because "nothing will ever change", well, then please don't be surprised that nothing changes. That's not an act of god, and it's not a conspiracy, that's your own apathy acting as a self-fulfilling prophecy. I for one have little sympathy for that kind of apathy.

 

[Baal]

I just don't think disillusionment with global power structures is an excuse to stop at the complaining stage. Quite the contrary, if anything at all it's a stronger incentive to improve things that are within reach.

Good point. Very good point.

Anyway, I hope my description earlier on of how it is that the the ITTF president is actually chosen served some purpose along those lines. First step towards trying to make things better is to understand how things actually are.

With that said, I don't personally see a way forward to fix this mess, but others may be more creative. (And of course, maybe my cynicism is incorrect and Weikert will not be elected. I would personally not bet the rent on that).

 

[tropical]

and I am tired of you who claims are tired of people whining. You probably are a person who always look at life with positive attitude thinking you can change the world with some unproven and naive ideas. Keep dreaming.

 

[Baal]

One question that occurs to me, and I have not really made up my mind completely, is whether Weikert has been an improvement over Sharara. My gut feeling is that he is, but I maybe don't have enough information to go on.

One thing that really bugs me is that there video feeds of some of the major events are pretty embarrassing and that seems like something pretty basic and obvious.

The idiotic 40+ ball situation was started in Sharara's time, and Weikert inherited it, but he was also Vice President during that time and so presumably had a hand in those decisions -- for example, using an argument about a need for new materials as an excuse to sneak in an second increase in ball size. Improvements in ball roundness and durability that may be emerging now, which he wants to take credit for are (a) thanks to time and the efforts of the ball companies and were probably inevitable, and (b) we still have major differences between classes of plastic balls with no end to that in sight.

The one difference is that Sharara frequently said things that were demonstrably untrue and there was a distinct smell of corruption about the intertwining of his own business interests and those of ITTF. I have never gotten a hint of that about Weikert, but maybe it is just because I very very far out of an loop where that might be known.

 

[Zaid323918]

I agree with tropical.
yoass you said "If you want better facilities, improve them. If you want more opening hours, volunteer. Clean the facilities. Do a little maintenance. Shell out a few $$. Help a beginner get started with some of your EJ-ed surplus instead of the sub-1$ junk they're walking into the club with, so they'll get a chance to experience the actual game and to develop basic techniques. Help them train."

How will this help our disappointment? Will this make the balls become smaller and made of celluloid? Will it make it legal to speed glue? It won't. The things you mentioned are not bad and should be done by TT players. But, that won't solve our problem. Weikret aint gonna disappear and stop if we help out TT community. He will just take the credit.

 

[tropical]

One thing about human beings is that we have logic but also emotion. In my life I've seen people I know very trustworthy but once in power slowly change their characters. I've seen faithful husbands scold infidel folks but behind their spouses did horrible things. On the web I've seen many keyboard warriors but in reality when I happen to know them well they are not the ones who they say they are.
It is no surprise to see corruption at this high level. In the beginning these folks may have a dream to change the association to be better. But as friendship, love, money, power, etc come in they will change their behavior then become corrupted just like others. Unless there is a check and balance system like US constitutions (and other advanced countries) to minimize corruption, there is no way to avoid it.
So, yoass, as much as you want to be different, to change the association like you naively said many times, you are just one of them, and you will be one of them once you are in power. People are hoping Saive can change the association. Well.. he will be rid of in a short period of time if he doesn't go along.

 

[Baal]

How will this help our disappointment? Will this make the balls become smaller and made of celluloid? Will it make it legal to speed glue?

There are quite a few things I think that ITTF has done that are really misguided. But one thing I never complain about is the banning of speed glue (and I spent a good part of my time playing in that era). I don't miss the smell at all, especially around 7 in the evening when everyone showed up at the club and started gluing around the same time. The stuff we were using in the mid 2000s was probably safer than the stuff in the 90s (halogenated hydrocarbons!!) but breathing organic solvents may not be a great thing.

I really don't miss it. (Outside of health issues, it is nice to just show up and start playing and not have to go through a glue ritual, plus things are consistent, you don't have those days where for some reason the glue job wasn't giving the pop you wanted).

 

[yourock]

Reading this thread is like watching a drama show! So entertaining. Hope Baal spit more inside stories!


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[MikeWarrior]

If I could vote, I would vote for Jean Michel Saive...To have a great player who could lead the ITTF would be truly amazing rather than having a long standing bureaucrat lead. Change is needed in the ITTF!

 

[zoomtt]

According to an ITTF communication, Al-Mohannadi has withdrawn from the presidential race. Interesting way of doing it though:

After long discussions with my friends and most importantly my family, even though I believe I had a strong chance of winning the election, I have decided to run for a position on the ITTF Executive Committee.

I respect both the nominations of Thomas WEIKERT and Jean-Michel SAIVE to become the ITTF President,” continued AL-MOHANNADI. “However, I have decided to support Thomas WEIKERT’s candidacy for the Presidency. Thomas has had two and a half years as President, where he has made positive changes to the sport, and I believe he deserves to be elected as President in his home country and have four more years to continue to work and implement his vision for our sport.

Jean-Michael SAIVE was a great player and ambassador for table tennis, which we all respect him for. Despite that, Jean-Michel has never held a high level international political table tennis position. So I don’t believe it is correct that his first position is that of ITTF President. But of course, if he wins I will be the first to congratulate him.