Re: Hello to Forum Members
filo a spus:
Hello.
I am the representant of the AMATuR ROMANIA (table tennis circuit for amateurs). We are now about 1000+ and we are the biggest circuit for amateurs of any sport in Romania because we are not welcome in sports in our country. We have some problems regarding our status and the relationship between us and Romanian TT Federation, so i want to ask you some questions:
What is the definition of amateur or nonaffiliate player in table tennis, and can you have distinct organisations regarding amateurs?
What ITTF do now for amateurs in general?
What is the position of ITTF regarding the relations between an National Federation and an amateurs Organisation, wich is the sportive and official line between our organisations?
Can we be affiliate to ITTF and what is the benefit for as from this action?
Can ITTF help us if we want to expand our sistem in foreign countries or to have contact with similar organisations because we want in future to have distinct competitions like National, European or World Circuit and Championships especialy for amateurs?
Thank you for your time.
Hi Filo,
This is a very good question, but first CONGRATULATIONS for promoting our sport and your efforts to regroup amateur table tennis players in Romania.
- In the ITTF we make no distinction between an amateur and a professional. The first president of the ITTF insisted that all players could play TT together and not separated. This idea kept us out of the Olympic Games for a very long time because the Olympics were only for amateurs. But then when IOC also abandoned the distinction between amateur and professional, the ITTF could join the Olympic Games. So to answer your question we do not have such a definition in the ITTF.
- The ITTF's membership is the National Associations, not the players directly. So the ITTF does all its work through the national associations and with great help from the continental federations. In the case of developing countries, the ITTF sends free equipment, coaches, experts, courses, etc to help develop the sport.
- The ITTF is the international governing body for TT. The national association is the national governing body for sport. The ITTF does not interfere in the internal affairs of any national association.
- You cannot affiliate diorectly to the ITTF, the members of the ITTF are the national associations. But you could ask that youer national associations recognizes you and you could do some joint actions together.
I think that it would be interesting to have an international event for AMATEURS, but how do you define "amateur"? and how would you control that the participants are really amateyrs based on your definition.
By the way, Table tennis is part of the FISU University Games which is for students from 17 to 27 years old, these players I would consider actually amateurs.
Adham