ITTF Executive Vice President Liu Guoliang  has been appointed by World Table Tennis Pte. Ltd. (WTT) as a new Board member.

An extremely well-respected leader within the table tennis community and the current WTT Council Chair, Mr Liu Guoliang takes the position of WTT Board Member for better participating in the ITTF Group tasks. He will use his unparalleled experience to further boost WTT in its mission to transform table tennis and grow the sport worldwide.

“As Chair of the WTT Council, I worked to ensure the entire table tennis family work in unison to make WTT a global success. Now, being a member of the Board too, it will be my honour to continue helping WTT strive for the benefit of our sport. It has long been my dream to make table tennis as big globally as it is in my country. I believe in the potential of our sport, and in WTT being the right vehicle to reach that goal.” — Liu Guoliang

This decision follows his election as ITTF Executive Vice President during the ITTF Annual General Meeting held in Houston, USA, on 24 November 2021. As Mr Liu Guoliang was entrusted with the “Commercial (WTT)” portfolio during the Executive Committee meeting held on 29 January 2022, WTT decided to appoint him to the Board.

ITTF President Petra Sörling, who will be regularly invited to the WTT Board meetings, stated: “Mr Liu Guoliang is a legend of our sport who has demonstrated great leadership as President of one of our most successful Member Associations. He has the ITTF Executive Committee’s full trust as we know he will be instrumental for World Table Tennis.”

Mr Liu Guoliang replaces Mr Matt Pound, Managing Director of WTT, who will be able to focus on day-to-day business operations and activities. The other board members of WTT – Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi, ITTF Executive Vice President, and Mr Steve Dainton, WTT Director and ITTF Group CEO – remain in their position.

“I am delighted to welcome Liu Guoliang to the Board. I am convinced that, following our initial successes, he is the right person to help us reach the next level in our mission to make table tennis one of the leading sports in the world,” said Mr Al Mohannadi.

“We are at a crucial moment as the sports industry is evolving after the pandemic hit us all,” added Dainton. “Having one of the most influential figures in table tennis that has been an athlete and a coach at the absolute highest level joining our Board now shows that WTT is ready to lead the whole table tennis community to new heights.”

A legend of the sport, Liu Guoliang has won all the major titles both as a player and head coach of the Chinese men’s team. In 2018, he was elected President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. In 2021, he was elected as an ITTF Executive Vice President.