Other Events | 24 Dec 2018
Bidding Process Open for Seamaster 2019 & 2020 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals & ITTF Star Awards
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has opened bids for the Seamaster 2019 & 2020 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals as well as the ITTF Star Awards in both years.
ITTF WORLD TOUR GRAND FINALS
The ITTF World Tour Grand Finals is year-ending finale of the ITTF World Tour, the highest-level professional table tennis tour, where world class athletes compete in 12 stops (6 Regular & 6 Platinum events) around the world to be the top 16 in Singles & top 8 Doubles pairs to qualify for the million-dollar event (along with the host representative in each event as defined in the qualification criteria for each).
4 Mixed Doubles pairs from the 2019 World Tour Grand Finals will also qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Mixed Doubles event, with a maximum of one pair per National Olympic Committee (NOC), adding extra media interest.
The recently concluded Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Incheon, Korea, was watched live by 15,000 spectators at the Namdong Gymnasium, and saw record-breaking viewership, being broadcasted in 120 countries with close to 250 hours of air time across the globe. The Grand Finals was also seen by 68.3 million unique TV viewers in China alone, with another 30 million from other parts of the world tuning into the action.
BIG BENEFITS FOR ITTF WORLD TOUR GRAND FINALS HOST
The ITTF World Tour Grand Finals has consistently been a great avenue for countries and cities to gain global reach, promotion and recognition:
- Best athletes, best venue, best competition
- Exciting new sport presentation
- High level of marketing & promotion
- 1 million USD prize money
- Extensive prime time broadcast in key territories such as China, Japan and throughout Europe on Eurosport
- Over 120 broadcast countries
- Over 227 broadcast hours
- 100 million TV viewers
- Over 2.8 million ITTF social media followers globally
- 7 million Facebook impressions, 3 million Instagram impressions
- Over 19.7 million Weibo impressions in China
- 500,000 unique viewers on ITTF's online streaming platform, itTV
- Over 1 million views on ITTF's Youtube channel
- 2019 & 2020 will mark the 23rd and 24th anniversaries respectively of the ITTF World Tour, previously known as the Pro Tour
To become a part of the world's biggest table tennis tour, go to ITTFWorldTour.com to find out more information and submit your bid now!
ITTF STAR AWARDS
The "Oscars of Table Tennis", the ITTF Star Awards is the highly anticipated annual Awards Night and Gala Dinner for the world of Table Tennis, representing the most prestigious individual prizes for the sport's standout stars.
Inaugurated in 2013, the ITTF Star Awards will be in its seventh year in 2019, guaranteeing a grand celebration of the best players' and coaches' international achievements in 2019, as well as their popularity among table tennis fans and enthusiasts around the world.
The evening of glitz and glamour at the Incheon 2018 ITTF Star Awards this December was watched live by over 1 million fans across all ITTF social media platforms, reaching over 50.9 million impressions.
With the 2019 & 2020 editions promising to be bigger and better than ever, make sure that you're a part of it all by submitting your bid!
