Other Events | 7 Sep 2015

TTF President Meets Tokyo 2020 President to Discuss Additional Gold

Mr WEIKERT & Mr MORI together with colleagues to discuss additional Olympic table tennis gold

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President Mr Thomas WEIKERT personally met the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Organising Committee President Mr Yoshiro MORI to discuss an additional table tennis gold for 2020.

Mr WEIKERT explained in details to Mr MORI about the proposal submitted to the IOC to add mixed doubles competition to compliment the existing four table tennis events already on show at Tokyo 2020.

At the conclusion of the meeting, which was held at the Tokyo 2020 headquarters, Mr WEIKERT stated: "I was very warmly welcomed by the President and I was very impressed with his knowledge of table tennis and the Japanese table tennis team. ITTF's initiative to add the mixed doubles event at Tokyo 2020 was well received and Mr MORI and his team were very positive about the idea."

To control the number of athletes at Tokyo 2020, only athletes already qualified for the current four events (men's & women's singles and men's & women's teams) would be eligible to play in the mixed doubles competition.

If the mixed doubles competition is added in Tokyo 2020, the ITTF is proposing that National Olympic Committees will only be able to enter players in a maximum of four of the five events on offer.

The mixed doubles competition is a fan favorite at the World Table Tennis Championships, where it has been an ever-present fixture since the Championships began back in 1926.

Joining Mr WEIKERT in the mixed doubles discussion was the ITTF Executive Vice President Mr Masahiro MAEHARA, and Japan Table Tennis Association representatives Mr Koji KIMURA and Mrs Sachiko YOKOTA.

Also meeting Mr WEIKERT was TOCOG Executive Director of Sports and International Relations Mr Aki MURASATO, TOCOG Senior Director of Sport Competition Mr Hiro KUWABARA and TOCOG Director Sports Competition Mr Kenichi MORITA.