The annual general meeting of the International Table Tennis Federation held at the World Championships, Osaka, Japan has by a large majority voted to change the scoring system from games up to 21 to games up to 11, with effect from 1st September 2001. Service will change every 2 points as opposed to after every 5 points as in games up to 21, with deuce at 10-10 after which service will change after every point until a player has a lead of 2 points to win the game. Sets will now normally be the best of 5 or 9 games, and players will change ends when the score reaches 5 in the deciding game.

The intention of the change, proposed by the Athletes’ Commission and the ITTF Executive Committee, is to create more key/crisis points, and more tension and excitement, hopefully leading to table tennis improving as a spectacle, particularly on television. However, the up to 21 scoring system has been adopted by the ITTF since its inception in 1926 and there has been resistance to the prospect of a change. Recent surveys conducted by the ETTA at Butterfly Grand Prix tournaments in England, at which up to 11 games have been experimentally employed, have found players 2 to 1 against the new system, a breakdown of the figures broadly showing older and weaker players against up to 11 games but better and younger players in favour.

In recognition of grass roots disagreement to the implementation of the new scoring system, the National Council is to propose at the ETTA’s AGM on 30th June that local leagues and county associations can have the discretion to opt out of the change and retain games up to 21 for their internal competitions, the situation to be reviewed annually. However, all competitions governed by ITTF rules and giving computer ranking points, such as open tournaments, British League, County Championships and national knockout competitions, will have to use games up to 11.

Whilst games up to 11 may be controversial, the service rule change, jointly proposed by England and the ITTF Rules Committee and passed with a large majority despite opposition from China, may have a more fundamental effect. The change, to the effect that during service the ball at all times is above the level of the table and is struck in front of the furthermost part of the server’s body or clothing so that it is visible to (not hidden from) the receiver, will disallow services ‘shielded’ by the server’s body, free-arm or clothing thus making spin services easier to ‘read’ and return. Some top players have derived a huge advantage from shielded services, but it is argued that table tennis both as an active sport and as a spectacle has been diminished by them as they have reduced or eliminated rallies. The change will be implemented on 1st September 2002 to give players time to adapt their service techniques.

These changes follow the introduction of the larger 40mm ball to replace the old 38 mm ball, passed by the AGM last year. The perception at the current world championships is that rallies are a little longer as a result. The 2001 AGM also chose Paris, France to host the May 2003 individual events World Championships, and Doha, Qatar to host the 2004 team event World Championships, the present championships at Osaka, Japan being the last time both individual and team events are held together, the championships as a whole becoming too big (players from128 countries are competing in Osaka) to manage.

For further information contact Ken Muhr, ETTA Information Officer, Tel.01424 722525 Fax. 01424 422103.