Strong Qatari presence at ITTF General Assembly

The General Assembly of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) elected Qatari referee Hassan Al Amri as the Chairman of the Umpires Committee within the International Federation.
This decision was made during the meeting held Friday, in the Thai capital Bangkok, on the sidelines of the ITTF Summit. The meeting also witnessed the election of Assistant Secretary General of the Qatari Federation Ali Sultan Al Muftah as member of the pioneers committee for former players.
The selections and votes were unanimous, reaffirming Qatar's outstanding presence in the international table tennis community. It's worth noting that President of the Qatari, Arab, and Asian Federation Khalil bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi holds the position of Vice President of the International Federation for the sport.
The attendees at the meeting praised these selections, which will last until the 2025 World Cup, thanks to the significant transparency of the appointments committee led by Qatari Abdullah Yousuf Al Mulla.
Qatar continues to achieve great success in the sport, having endorsed a proposal to increase the number of teams in the World Championships, as well as to hold the General Assemblies of the International Federation annually at the same time and location as the World Championships, whether team events in even years or individual and doubles events in odd years.
Following the decision made in the Jordanian capital Amman to win the hosting rights for the 2025 World Championships, the number of teams in the World Championships was increased to 64 countries from the previous 40. This decision was made during the General Assembly in Bangkok to provide opportunities for all countries to elevate their technical levels.
This resolution will contribute to increasing the financial income of the International Federation, and national associations will also benefit from the increased annual revenue in terms of marketing and television broadcasting rights.
Another decision was the integration of the General Assemblies with the World Championships in the same year, aiming to expand the scope of competition and provide an opportunity for everyone to participate in the World Championships.
In the same context, during the meeting, a unanimous vote was cast to grant lifelong honorary membership of the International Federation to Tunisian Sherif Al Hajjam, the former president of the Tunisian and African Federations. This recognition reflects his significant contributions to global table tennis and the International Federation over the years.
Al Muhannadi extended his congratulations to all the winners and new members of the various committees within the International Federation, wishing them success in serving the game both regionally and internationally.
After the meeting, Al Muhannadi congratulated the teams from the UK and Bahrain delegations. This came after London won the bid to host the 2026 World Team Championships, and Manama won the bid to host the World Youth Championships in the same year for the first time in its history.