Newly-elected ETTU President Igor Levitin promises innovation as he looks to elevate European table tennis

First online ETTU Congress was held today

Russia’s Igor Levitin was today elected President of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) for a four-year term.

The ETTU Congress was held online for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world looks to emerge from this crisis President Levitin shared a vision comprising of two key pillars – innovation and influence – that will provide certainty and strength for the European table tennis family in the years ahead. As ETTU President he has pledged to grow the sport throughout Europe in a sustainable way and enhance the voice of Europe on the global stage.

President Levitin is a member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President’s Advisory Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia. Standing unopposed for the ETTU Presidency he was elected after a vote by the Congress.

In the current challenging times facing the whole sports movement newly-elected President Levitin wants to inspire optimism by embracing new ideas and implementing changes that will develop table tennis across Europe. His manifesto outlines his determination to:

• Engage with a modern generation of fans and attract young people to the sport;
• Place athletes at the heart of all key decisions;
• Empower member associations and increase ETTU influence on the global stage;
• Grow and promote women’s table tennis;
• Increase transparency and become an example of good governance;
• Increase revenues for reinvestment to European table tennis;
• Develop a fairer quota system in the sport.

Following his election President Levitin said: “First of all I would like to thank the ETTU family for placing their trust in me to lead our organisation. Sport like all aspects of society has been affected deeply by the COVID-19 pandemic and we need strength and unity to drive European table tennis forward. This period of disruption has allowed us to think about our sport’s future and the necessary changes to maximise our potential as a continent.

“I humbly believe that with the collective experience and expertise of the new ETTU Executive Board we can deliver the changes that European table tennis needs. I am convinced that if we work together in a true partnership our sport will enter into a new period of growth which will see more young people becoming professional players more people watching our sport and greater revenues generated to reinvest into the ETTU family.”

Newly elected Deputy President is Pedro MOURA (POR).

The ETTU Congress also elected six ETTU Vice Presidents:

• Sandra Deaton (ENG) – Vice President for Finance
• Heike Ahlert (GER) – Vice President
• Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) – Vice President
• Sonja Grefberg (FIN) – Vice President
• Ina Jozepsone (LAT) – Vice President
• Miguel Vicens (FRA) – Vice President