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In a significant development, table tennis on the world stage has undergone a major rebrand under the banner of 'World Table Tennis' (WTT). New structures have now been put in place for the World Tour and its associated events.
The revamped World Table Tennis replaces the previous International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Tour and World Tour Platinum events. The World Championships and the Olympics are the only two major international competitions that will not be held under the purview of WTT.
World Table Tennis aims to reflect the spirit of the sport as it bids to make its competitions even more relevant for its diverse fanbase.
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New rules framed under World Table Tennis
In addition to the new name, a new set of rules will also be seen coming into effect.
In a bid to make the sport appear more vibrant and colorful, paddlers will now be allowed to use blue, green, violet, and pink rubber instead of the traditional red and black.
Matches under the the purview of World Table Tennis will be played as best-of-five, instead of the old best-of-seven format. However, the main draw singles semi-final events and finals will be played as per to the old rules.
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List of World Table Tennis events
A total of five World Table Tennis events have been planned, namely Grand Smash events, WTT Cup Finals, WTT Champion Series, WTT Star Contender and WTT Contender events. World Table Tennis will also launch a new youth competition tier in the name of the WTT Youth Series.
Featured at the top of the World Table Tennis tournament categories are four major Grand Smash competitions. The events will feature 64 men and women in the main draw, 24 men's and women's doubles squads, and about 16 mixed doubles pairs.
The WTT Cup Finals, which amalgamate the old ITTF World Cups and ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, will come second in the category. The World Cups were held separately from the World Tour Grand Finals until last year.
In the WTT Champion Series, the men's and women's events will take place separately for the 32 best players. Players who are ranked in the top 30 will be able to compete in the event. There will also be one wild card and one WTT nomination.
Also Read: Tokyo 2020 Olympics: Table tennis rules, format and point system
Below the level three WTT Champion Series tournaments, there will be the WTT Star Contender and WTT Contender events, in place of the traditional World Tour Platinum and World Tour events. The events assume significance as they will provide world ranking points to the players.
World Table Tennis will also play out a new youth competition tier, the WTT Youth Series. It replaces the old ITTF World Junior events. The competition will be played under five age-group tournaments - under-11, -13, -15, -17, and -19.
