USATT - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION

The USATT United States of America Table Tennis Association was founded in 1933 and is the national governing body (NGB) for all of the USA Table Tennis. The goal of the association is to promote table tennis, the worlds most popular racquet sport, in America and to provide all participants, recreational and professional, the best possible experience by advancing and administering the sport in a variety of ways.

Headquartered at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USATT is a Group A member of the United States Olympic Committee and has been a member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) since 1993. In these roles, USA Table Tennis is responsible for organizing and training teams for national and international events including National and World Championships, U.S. Olympic Festivals, Pan American Games and the Olympics. It also works closely with over 150 international table tennis associations and approximately 250 table tennis clubs in the U.S.

Through its network of affiliated clubs in 50 states, USA Table Tennis has nearly 300 sanctioned tornaments each year in addition to league play, coaching programs, exhibitions and other promotional, recreational and educational activities. It also sanctions regional and national championships in several age classifications, conducts local and national player development clinics, approves and studies equipment and financially supports national team members. USA Table Tennis also provides a computerized national athlete rating system.

Coaches, officials, and club directors benefit from training manuals provided through the National Coaching Program and Officials Program. These books improve the knowledge of coaches and officials through careful study, training and examination. USA Table Tennis provides uniform rules, interprets those rules and supports approximately 250 affiliated table tennis clubs.

To keep every registered member informed, USA Table Tennis produces Table Tennis Today, its by monthly magazine, which contains tournament results and wraps-up athlete ratings, advice columns, feature articles and the latest in table tennis information. USA Table Tennis works closely with many national organizations to promote the sport including the American Wheelchair Table Tennis Association, Amateur Athletic Union/Junior Olympics, National Senior Games, Association of College Unions, and International and State Games.

Finally, USA Table Tennis provides information and assistance for conducting tournaments and directs America's most prestigious table tennis events, the USA Table Tennis Open Championships and the USA Table Tennis National Championships.

Current USATT Sponsors
BUTTERFLY TABLE TENNIS EQUIPMENT COMPANY
COCA-COLA
ESCALADE SPORTS
NEWGY INDUSTRIES
NITTAKU TAKKYU CO. LTD

ITTF - INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION

The founding of the International Table Tennis Federation, one of the largest sports organizations in the world, took place on January 15, 1926 in Berlin Germany. The historic meeting followed an invitational tournament hosted by Deutscher Tisch-Tennis Bund and was spearheaded by the German association's president, Dr. Georg Lehman. The original meeting created a "provisional federation" which was officially established the following December at the first Congress of London. The ITTF confirmation immediately succeeded the first World Championships and nine associations were listed as founding members, including Austria, Czechoslovakia, Demark, England, Germany, Hungary, India, Sweden and Wales. The United States Table Tennis Association joined the ITTF in 1933. The ITTF presently consists of 156 members, more affiliate associations than any other racquet sport in the world. The World Table Tennis Championships, sanctioned by the ITTF, are held biennially in odd years and include men's and women's team competition as well as individual events.

• To develop the spirit of friendship and mutual assistance among associations and players
• To regulate relations between association and other organizations
• To seek continual improvement in the technical standard of table tennis in the extent of participation in the sport throughout the world
• To foster friendly competition and to eliminate unfair and unsporting practices such as the use of drugs to affect performance.
• To define the requirements for Olympic eligibility
• To establish and maintain the Laws of Table Tennis and the Regulations for International Competitions
• To publish the standard text, which shall be the English text, of the rules, consisting of the Constitution, the Laws and the Regulations
• To encourage the publication of the rules in other languages and to check the accuracy of such publications
• To promote and to supervise the World title competitions
• To employ the funds of the ITTF as may be expedient in the interests of international table tennis

The governing body of the ITTF shall be the General Meeting, consisting of the assembled representatives of associations

Each association in full membership shall be entitled to two representatives and each association in membership "in good standing" shall be entitled to one representative

A general meeting shall be normally held once every two years and shall be known as the "Biennial General Meeting"

USATT is a trademark of the Untied States of America Table Tennis Association.

ITTF is a trademark of the International Table Tennis Federation