The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the world governing body for the sport of table tennis. Founded in 1926, the ITTF held the first World Championship tournament the same year. Before the founding of the ITTF, table tennis was simply a parlor sport. Today table tennis is an Olympic sport with many followers, largely due to the work of the ITTF.
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is the governing body for
the sport of table tennis worldwide. As such, the ITTF sets the regulations for
play, organizes tournaments, and sets standards for a table tennis table and other table tennis equipment.
In December 1926, the first ITTF World Championship was held in London. Players
from Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden,
and Wales competed. The founders of the ITTF discussed joining the Olympics in
1937, but it was not until1988 that table tennis was included as an Olympic sport.
ITTF Website
International Table Tennis Federation's website is worth a visit. Visitors can view the official handbook, calendar of events, photo gallery, links to member associations, and news. The handbook is available to read online or for download in English, French, German, and Spanish.
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The website has a list of approved equipment including adhesives, ping pong balls, ping pong nets,
table tennis rackets, and ping pong tables. Each type of table tennis equipment has its own page with
drop down menus to narrow down your search to a particular manufacturer.
The Museum section of the website contains three main sections:
- Technical/Evolution
- Culture
- ITTF/Sport History
Each section has many virtual galleries. Some topics are History of Table Tennis,
Early Rackets, Ping Pong Diplomacy, Meet the Champions, and ITTF Hall of Fame.
International Table Tennis Federation has a physical museum located in Switzerland,
in the Olympics community near Lausanne. Directions, hours, and special events
are listed on the homepage of the online museum. If you cannot travel to Switzerland,
or in the meantime, make sure you visit the online museum.
