By Tom Lloyd, Düsseldorf, Germany, May 31, 2017: Thomas Weikert was today elected President of the International Table Tennis Federation [ITTF] at its Annual General Meeting in Düsseldorf, Germany by 118 votes to 90 after campaigning on a Manifesto focused on delivering value and growth for the whole sport in every part of the world.
Weikert is the incumbent ITTF President and he inherited the position in 2014. Today’s Presidential election is the first he contested against a challenger.
Speaking after the result was announced, ITTF President Thomas Weikert, said:
“It is a huge honour to have been elected President of ITTF by our global family of Table Tennis National Federations. They are my peers and I would like to thank them for the trust they have placed in me today. It has been an intense campaign but I will invest all my energy to grow our sport and make it even more successful.
“It has been a great privilege to serve Table Tennis as ITTF President since 2014 and my plan is to work in true partnership with the National and Continental Federations so together we can fuel the development of our sport. With the plans and proposals I have recommended, I believe Table Tennis will enter an exciting new phase of global growth that sees the creation of more players and fans.
“I am proud of the results that my team and I have achieved since I took office – including helping to make Table Tennis the first truly global sport with every country in the world now represented by a National Federation.
On the back of these achievements, I believe my team and I can help guide Table Tennis and the ITTF into an even greater era that maximises commercial and marketing opportunities, harnesses the latest innovations and digital technologies, leads the way in terms of youth-focused sports presentation and sets the benchmark for sports good governance, integrity and transparency.
“Finally, I wish to applaud Jean-Michel Saive for running a hard-fought election. Whilst we both campaigned enthusiastically, I believe he conducted himself with great sportsmanship and acted in the spirit of fair play. We both love Table Tennis so I look forward to working with him to develop our wonderful sport further.” —- Photo: ITTF
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