The International Table Tennis Federation will hold its elective General Assembly on May 27. Petra Sörling, outgoing president, is seeking a second term against Qatari Khalil Al-Mohannadi and Mauritanian Mohamed El Hacen Ahmed Salem. The Swede, who will unveil her manifesto later this week, spoke to Francs Jeux to take stock of her first term and present her vision for the years to come.
Her first term
I had the privilege of being elected in Houston in 2021. It was a special time to lead a federation because of the pandemic. Table tennis suffered perhaps even more as China is our main market and the country was almost completely locked down for three years. In just four years, we have built momentum. We saw it at the Paris Games. I spoke with the presidents of the continental federations to get their feedback on this first term, and they feel there is momentum; they want table tennis to stay ahead. That's also why I decided to run for a second term.
Unlike 2021, this is a more traditional campaign, where people can travel and meet. I have to "sell" my ideas to the members, but it's not that complicated given the journey we've had over the past four years because I can show results. Being the first female president, and the first ITTF leader elected to the IOC, was a dream. I have that weight on my shoulders, but I feel like we have a lot to accomplish. I see this as a second chapter; we have to do a little more, while showing member associations that our actions are bringing them something.
Goal of top 8 in Los Angeles 2028
Table tennis can be a top-8 sport at the Los Angeles Games. It's not impossible if we keep moving at the same speed. For us, trying to grow, to get bigger, is a must. When you look at the top-8 sports, I think we deserve to be there with them. For that, there's the sporting aspect, but also everything we can do in the different markets. I want all our members to feel part of the adventure. We have 227 member associations, which is huge, but how do we ensure we're a key player in every corner of the world, not just in China or Asia?
At the Tokyo Games, in the men's singles tournament, we had players from four continents in the quarterfinals. That was something big. Last week, Brazilian Hugo Calderano won the Macau World Cup by beating the two best players in the world. To be a top-8 sport, you need diversity in results. We're on the right track. It's not impossible; we can succeed. We're working on all aspects, the sporting and the commercial, and that's how we'll get there. We know what needs to be done, and we have to do it everywhere!
The integration of a mixed team event in the Olympic Games
We had four events until 2020. Since Tokyo, we have had five (including mixed doubles), and in Los Angeles we will have six. This is not just another event. We created a Mixed Team World Cup and we had two very successful editions, which really brought something to the table in terms of equality. Some member associations complained, saying: "We can't compete, we don't have any female players." It's time to support the girls to form a mixed team in the future! Adding this event to the Games will boost the number of female players. Worldwide, around 20% of licensed players are women, even though we are a sport very committed to parity, with equal prize money between men and women since 2008. This event will encourage federations to support female players. For us, it's not just another event; it's a game changer.
Limit the environmental footprint
The first thing I did after my election was to create a Head of sustainability position, to which we appointed someone from our foundation. Now, we have dedicated organizer handbooks with a special chapter on sustainability and legacy. Recently, we organized a sustainability forum where all members were able to exchange best practices. When we started in 2021, manufacturers viewed this with fear. Now, they have their own sustainability working group, and there will be some surprises this year with good initiatives in terms of recycled equipment and new green products coming out soon. I'm very proud because it's concrete. There are also areas where we have a lot of work to do, but we're on a journey.
Travel is our biggest challenge. We're increasingly trying to have event clusters: when you're in Asia, you have several events happening one after the other. This is important for the climate but also for the well-being of the athletes. When the pandemic ended, we had to push the organizers; we were already happy to have an event, regardless of its location. Now that the situation is better and new members want to host competitions, it's easier for us to prioritize. We're seeing it this year, and it will be even stronger next year: we want to promote event clusters to limit these travels.
The next eSports World Championships
Last year, we organized the first-ever Virtual Table Tennis World Championships to connect with younger generations, meet them where they are, behind their screens, and attract them to the sport. It was a great success. We will organize another edition by the end of the year to prepare for the 2027 Games. We want to have a World Championship every year, but we haven't yet decided whether it will be like in 2024, whether it will be dedicated to young people, or whether it will be a stand-alone event. We are trying to calibrate the format with a view to the eSports Olympics.
We don't want to do something artificial: virtual reality table tennis already existed and was popular on the market. France was among the leaders in terms of results but also as a member. The French federation pushed me in this direction; I felt they were with me, and without them, I don't think we would have organized the first edition last year. They helped me push my executive committee. We are in the planning phase. The location and dates are not yet set, but there will be an event this year. We will continue on this path.
