Table Tennis
INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION HANDS FORMER PRESIDENT FOUR-YEAR BAN
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has handed its former President Adham Sharara a four-year ban after finding him guilty of “inappropriate misconduct”.
According to the ITTF, the decision against the now Honorary President was taken with a “heavy heart”.
The Canadian has been banned from “all activity within or in connection with the ITTF”.
But he has told insidethegames that all of the allegations against him are “false” and that he will be launching a legal challenge.
Sharara added that members of the ITTF Executive Committee had already contacted him to offer support on what he described as a “very sad day for international table tennis”.
The official alleged he was being targeted by current ITTF President Thomas Weikert.
His ban follows a “comprehensive” investigation by the ITTF Executive Committee which ruled that he “breached his fiduciary duties during his terms of office”.
He has been found guilty of a conflict of interest during the process which saw the ITTF buy back its commercial and marketing contracts from TMS International – a company he set-up – as well as the “inappropriate” use of ITTF funds.
In addition, Sharara has been found to have interfered in the bidding process for a major ITTF equipment contract.
The ITTF claimed the Canadian did not appear to defend himself or present his side of the story.
“The Executive Committee reached this decision with a heavy heart after reviewing evidence reports, financial records and recommendations, including legal advice prepared by external legal counsel Withers KhattarWong and a report by professional services firm BDO,” the governing body said in a statement today.
“The Executive Committee concluded that the ITTF suffered damage as a result of Mr Sharara’s actions.
“It has therefore taken this difficult decision in order to protect the integrity of the ITTF and the sport of table tennis.
“Mr Sharara was informed of charges made against him and was presented with the relevant evidence.
“He and his legal team rejected various invitations from the Executive Committee to attend hearings to answer their questions, put forward his defence or attempt to resolve the matter in good faith.
“The ITTF Executive Committee’s decision to suspend Mr Sharara has been declared final and it considers the matter concluded.”
Sharara stepped down as ITTF President in 2014 having led the body since 1999.
He took on the newly-created role of chairman at the ITTF and later became Honorary President.
Weikert, Sharara’s deputy, took over Presidential duties from the Canadian and the German was elected to the role permanently in 2017.
The Canadian’s relationship with Weikert had broke down, however, and Sharara backed his rival for President in 2017, Belgium’s Jean-Michel Saive.
In October 2017, the ITTF announced that they had ended the deal which saw TMS International act as its IT service provider.
This reportedly came following a breakdown in their relationship as well as “problems with the service”.
It brought to an end a partnership with a company which had also enjoyed exclusive control of the world governing body’s commercial and marketing rights for 14 years until January 1, 2017.
Problems and delays with the online results service during the 2017 World Championships held in Düsseldorf had been reported and the ITTF has since taken commercial and IT arrangements in-house.
TMS was a company Sharara created in 2001 to take care of all of the ITTF’s commercial needs.
After insidethegames contacted Sharara for a response, the Canadian claimed the situation was due to his deteriorating relationship with Weikert.
He alleged that the ITTF wanted to stop the possibility of him from standing for its top job again after he became President of Table Tennis Canada (TTCAN) last year.
Sharara also alleged he had been subject to “vicious attacks” after declaring for Saive and that he had always provided responses and explanations through legal letters from his lawyer.
He claimed that at last year’s World Team Table Championships in Sweden he was told that the ITTF “wanted peace” and “would honour his legacy” but written confirmation of this never arrived.
Sharara said he was subject to allegations again when nominated for TTCAN President.
“The accusations and allegations against me are all false,” Sharara told insidethegames.
“The reality is that Mr Weikert and some others in the ITTF interpret my election as President of TTCAN as a step towards the Presidency of the ITTF.
“This is why the suspension is for four years in order not to permit me to run for President of the ITTF at the next elections.
“On 13 March 2019, I offered the possibility of a meeting in London in the first week of April 2019 or at the World Championships in Budapest also in April.
“On 14 March I received a response from Mr Weikert agreeing with a possibility of a meeting in London, but again with pre-conditions of guilt.
“I responded on 14 March stating that I would be happy to meet in London, but without any preconditions.
“Without any further notice the suspension was issued today.
“This morning I received hundreds of e-mails of support and of ‘amazement’ from the international table tennis community and even from some members of the ITTF Executive Committee.
“This is very heart-warming.
“According to the ITTF constitution, only the AGM has the right to remove the Honorary President of the ITTF.
“I am sure that this suspension will be questioned from within the ITTF membership.
“This is a very sad day for international table tennis, instead of wasting time attacking me with frivolous accusations, the current leader of the ITTF should focus on the future and build on the legacy that I have provided through my 25 years in the ITTF, including 15 years as President.
“Of course I will be taking legal action to fight this unjust and unfair suspension and I am confident that I will be successful.”
Otan Ayegbaju, a historic town in Southwestern Nigeria, will host 50 teams from states and clubs across the country for the 5th edition of the Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial National Table Tennis Championships in Osun State.
The tournament, sponsored by the Michael and Felicia Alabi Foundation and organised by the Osun State Table Tennis Association under the auspices of the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF), will take place at Idera Multi-Purpose Hall in Otan Ayegbaju from April 27 to May 3, 2025.
Participating teams will come from various states including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Taraba, Nasarawa, Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, and the host state, Osun. Expected clubs include Aruna Sports Club, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Nigeria Police Force.
With over ₦11.5 million at stake, the one-week tournament will take place at the newly built Michael and Felicia Alabi Memorial Table Tennis Hall.
Ayodeji Alabi, chairman of the Osun State Table Tennis Association, stated that the tournament aims to complement the federation’s efforts to discover new talent and empower youth across the country.
To enhance this year’s edition, the tournament promises a blend of sports and entertainment, with several artists scheduled to perform daily.
Alabi, a member of the ITTF Africa Committee, assured that all participants would be accommodated and fed throughout the event to motivate them to perform their best.
“Whoever comes to this tournament will take home a lot of happiness because we have an entertainment lounge featuring many artists. After the games, there will be comedy shows, music performances, and well-known disc jockeys. We are creating a diverse entertainment portfolio for everyone attending,” Alabi said.
Additionally, para and deaf events will be part of this year’s edition, with athletes competing in various categories including men’s singles, women’s singles, U-15 boys’ and girls’ singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, mixed doubles, veteran singles, para men’s singles open, para women’s singles open, deaf men’s singles, deaf women’s singles, and local singles.
“This year, we expect about 400 to 450 participants, and we will house and feed them free of charge. This year’s tournament is different because we have created an environment where participants will sleep and eat well,” Alabi added.
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Solange Ngonda Tibesa, an Ogoja-based Cameroonian refugee, will be representing Nigeria at the fifth edition of the World Table Tennis Day 2025 event.
The WTTD 2025 is an event that is supported by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to promote the development of the game of table tennis at the grassroots level all over the world.
According to the ITTF, “Thirty promoters were selected for World Table Tennis Day (WTTD) 2025.
“Representing 27 countries and territories across all five continents. These passionate individuals will play a pivotal role in uniting communities and sharing the joy of table tennis on 23rd April 2025.”
A record 160 persons applied to be considered as WTTD 2025 promoters, out of which Solange and 29 other applicants from 27 countries and five continents applied to be considered.
Furthermore, the ITTF stated that they will provide Solange and the other promoters with financial assistance, capacity-building resources, and personalised guidance to align their initiatives with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the theme of diversity and inclusion.
Solange, who is currently a full-time staff member of Save the Children, is also a trained netball coach who supervises the compulsory twice-a-week training of the more than thirty netballers who are based at the Adagom 3 refugee camp.
During a telephone interview with our reporter, Solange stated that on 23rd April 2025, she and the Ogoja refugees table tennis organising committee hope to hold the event in the Adagom 1, Adagom 3 and Ukende camps.
Over one thousand persons are expected to attend this event in the three separate refugee camps. The event will be spiced up with a table tennis challenge, live music, health and well-being talks, and some light refreshments for the spectators.
Furthermore, Solange stated: “As an experienced community worker, I know the important role sports can play in bringing people together and giving them the opportunities to compete with each other under set rules, in a respectful manner. I am also aware that sports could be used to empower and provide psychosocial support to vulnerable persons, including the physically challenged.
“We hope to use the game of table tennis to reach out to my fellow Cameroonians and members of our host community in Ogoja.”
Finally, Solange commended the CSED (Community Sports and Educational Development) Initiative for bringing the WTTD 2025 grant advertisement to her attention and encouraging her to apply for WTTD 2025.
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Wahid Enitan Oshodi, President of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), has reaffirmed the continental body’s commitment to supporting coaches in their quest to match their foreign counterparts.
Speaking as a guest at the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF)-organized National Hopes Week, Oshodi emphasized the importance of coaches growing alongside their players through regular training and courses to enhance their knowledge of the sport.
Following the recent Level 2 Coaching Course held in Tunisia, Oshodi assured that more training opportunities would be provided for those shaping future stars in Africa. “First of all, you need a pathway. Coaches who participated in last year’s ITTF training camp, which included the Level 1 Coaching Course, are part of this pathway.
“We want to see what the coaches are doing and bring the players they’ve been working with. For me, the main criterion is age. We need these kids playing U-9 and U-10 to develop into top players early.
“The best players in the world now are U-21, so we can’t do things differently. From what we’ve seen so far, Nigeria is on the right path.”
Oshodi added, “With NTTF National Hopes Week, we hope to see more talents emerge quickly. We have 30-40 children from all over Nigeria taking part, and the talent pool is much larger than that.
“Our coaches are improving, and we’re working on getting new courses for them so they can transfer their knowledge to the children. We’re pleased with the progress, and the results are starting to show.”
Tunji Lawal, Chairman of the Lagos State Table Tennis Association, also praised the initiative.
“These are the future generations of Nigeria, and it’s great to see them in action.
“This shows we have potential in Nigeria, and future stars like Aruna Quadri are emerging. We’re glad to have this kind of initiative for the development of the game in Nigeria. I believe success comes from failure, so even if Lagos isn’t in the finals, it means we have more work to do to bring our players up to the required standard. We will continue to try and do our best,” Lawal said.
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