EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT (Alaa Meshref)
Report to the AGM
Document A6
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4) Equipment
• The equipment department is also being professionalised with a new office opened five
months ago, having two full time and one part time staff members. There is cooperation
between the department staff and the equipment committee in all aspects.
• A pilot phase was successfully completed to check true rubber thickness of players on
dismantled blades. This will help in future development of new more accurate devices for
racket control.
• Intensive cooperation is being done with ball manufacturers to ensure consistent quality
of balls in all ITTF events.
• Coloured rubbers have been defined and will be approved soon.
• Close to 2000 products are currently on the ITTF approval list, and this is still increasing.
• The revenue from equipment approvals and testing has increased the last two years by
an average of 20%.
• All technical leaflets are being updated and databases are under development for all
approved products.
• Closer monitoring of unauthorised use of the ITTF logo and proper action against non-
compliant companies is strictly undertaken.
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EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE (Paul Schiltz)
Report to the AGM
Document D1
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Approved/authorised Equipment – Evolution since 2014 – Label “ITTF approved”
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The ITTF has accredited independent testing institutes, which provide the measurements, run the tests,
verify the declarations of the suppliers about their equipment and also advise ITTF technically. Together
with Claudia Herweg, the EqC experts evaluate the transmitted results and decide about the approvals /
authorisations. The related administrative work lies on the shoulders of ITTF staff, presently Emese Barsai.
The triangular cooperation, involving external professionals, ITTF professional staff and experts from the
field-of-play, has created and strengthened the label “ITTF approved”, which is nowadays worldwide
recognised, also by governmental and educational bodies, as a guarantee for high competition quality and
for safety. The EqC recommends to keep this system, which works well, as it permits fruitful, multiple input.
However, improvements are necessary:
- An EqC member and expert shall fulfil criteria of a technical, scientific or research background, and
be able to dedicate time enough to his/her task, which he/she shall conduct in a strictly neutral way.
“Political” members and persons strongly linked to manufacturers shall not serve.
- An ITTF Equipment Department shall not only take care of all administrative and financial aspects,
but also initiate and coordinate efforts for a coherent, fair and transparent equipment policy. Important
progress has been made in 2019.
- The representatives of the suppliers, shall provide advice about all aspects related to TT equipment,
as it already happens through the FIT Working Groups. The decisions of ITTF shall stay with the ITTF,
and shall remain independent and transparent, to serve table tennis as a sport.
- Legal and marketing aspects, modern and complete information have to be considered, developed
and integrated.
Racket coverings, Racket control after the match
Thanks to the deep knowledge and personal involvement of Claudia Herweg,
- Deadlines and procedures for the authorisation of racket coverings shall be better adapted to the
needs of players and manufacturers.
- Authorisation criteria, especially for re-tests and market survey, will be reviewed.
Rubber suppliers with wrong claims or illegal products were forced to comply with the rules, and some
products were deleted from the lists.
Racket dismantling after the last match safely detects post-treatment of blades and illustrates how easily
it is to deceive the ITTF devices. It is not possible to conclude with certainty. Finally, the EqC does not yet
propose changes of the rules and methods of racket control. Nearly all players understand and accept well
such control, it is positive news.
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Good governance, data – bases, information on the ITTF equipment page
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The EqC considers that for all equipment data-bases with relevant information should exist, and that the
available pictures of approved or authorised equipment should be put back to the related lists of the ITTF
web page.
Research: general – new materials for blades – friction - balls
The EqC recommends to join the ITF (Tennis) Technical Centre in London for guiding research before
implementation of equipment changes, and not set up an own expensive centre.
A British University was entrusted with the research about “new materials for blades”; it did not deliver
useful results.
The order for building the device measuring the frictional properties of a table surface, and hopefully also
of the (ageing) ball surface, finally was passed to a German company; we are waiting for the product.
Technical leaflets – changes and improvements to be implemented
T2 – Net assemblies: legalise good, but illegal net structures and advertising, test net sturdiness (advice
of the testing Institute has been taken), reorganise presentation of TL.
T3 – Balls: unused production-tolerances are cut off, this after intensified re-testing and a detailed
statistical analysis, celluloid-free balls only (the last celluloid ball will run out by end of 2020), presentation
of document.
T4 – Racket coverings: new authorisation deadlines and procedures shall be integrated to be legal, new
colour ranges.
BoD is the constitutional body for the final and prior decision of contents of the technical leaflets; layout
and design into well – presented manuals shall be entrusted to Equipment Committee and Department,
with the substantial expert help of professional designers.
Colours
Two independent approaches permitted to propose acceptable bright colour ranges for racket coverings:
opinion poll based on colour tiles (Pantone) and expert advice from ESN based on rubber samples
produced for this purpose. Both added the colour violet to the EqC’s proposed red, green, blue, purple;
violet tones which can also be considered as bright. The definition of the colour domains required much
time and energy in order to avoid errors and not to succumb to personal requests for non-bright colours.
Contributions from players and from a movie were valued.
Therefore, the documentation for the resolution about a yellow ball was postponed; a strategy will be
established in Busan to hopefully convince the AGM that yellow is a very good option.
Equipment for the World Championships and the Olympic/Paralympic Games 2020
Tables and their nets have been inspected and approved. At the moment of this report, other test results
are expected soon.
Blade authorisation procedure
After many years of fruitless discussions, a concrete project has now been drafted. It still needs discussion
and refinement before possible agreement and implementation.
Paul Schiltz
Chair