RULES 2000 - 2001

4. Regulations for World and Olympic Title Competitions

4.1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

4.1.1 Authority for Organisation

4.1.1.1 The title "World Championships", referred to in this Chapter as "Championships", shall be bestowed by the BGM on the championship events at a tournament organised by an Association entrusted with the task.

4.1.1.2 An Association wishing to organise the Championships shall send a written application to the ITTF Secretariat not later than 10 weeks before the BGM, giving details of the accessibility of the venue to all Associations, the proposed accommodation for players, any special arrangements for travel or visas and any other information as may be requested in the current ITTF application form.

4.1.1.3 All applications shall be considered by the Standing Orders Committee and shall be submitted to the BGM, together with the report of the Standing Orders Committee on venues for the occasion in question.

4.1.1.4 When assigning options, the ITTF shall take account of the probable accessibility to all members, so as to ensure that players and delegates of all Associations may participate in the Championships and the BGM without any obstacles.

4.1.1.5 The right to organise future Championships shall normally be granted for 2 occasions ahead; an Association may be granted a provisional option for an occasion later than the next 2 Championships but such an option shall be subject to confirmation at a subsequent BGM.

4.1.1.6 Where necessary, the BGM or the Executive Committee may ask one or more members of the appropriate Committee to visit the country of an Association applying for the right to organise the Championships to satisfy themselves as to the adequacy of the proposed playing and other arrangements; the cost of such visits shall be borne by that Association.

4.1.1.7 If, after an option has been granted, circumstances change in such a way as to be likely to prejudice the satisfactory conduct of the Championships, the option may be revoked by a 2/3 majority vote at the BGM preceding the Championships; between BGMs the Council shall have power to transfer the Championships or to take any other appropriate action.

4.1.2 Responsibilities of Organisers

4.1.2.1 An Association granted the right to organise the Championships, hereafter referred to as the "organisers" shall be responsible for conducting them in accordance with the Laws of Table Tennis, the Regulations for International Competitions and the Regulations for World Title Competitions, as modified or supplemented by any directives authorised by the Council.

4.1.2.2 The organisers shall provide accommodation and meals from the evening before the Championships begin until the morning after the Championships end for

4.1.2.2.1 not more than 7 players, including playing or non-playing captains, nominated by an Association competing in both the men's and women's team events;

4.1.2.2.2 not more than 4 players, including playing or non-playing captains, nominated by an Association competing only in either the men's or the women's team event;

4.1.2.2.3 not more than 2 players nominated by an Association not competing in either of the team events;

4.1.2.2.4 1 delegate to the BGM from each Association if he is not already included in the nominated players listed above;

4.1.2.2.5 ITTF Officers, members of the Council and the Olympics Commission and full members of Committees;

4.1.2.2.6 up to 4 members of the Doping Control Panel appointed by the Sports Science Committee;

4.1.2.2.7 up to 3 members of the Calendar Working Group;

4.1.2.2.8 up to 8 members of the Athletes' Commission;

4.1.2.2.9 Personal Honorary Members;

4.1.2.2.10 International Umpires and Referees from other Associations invited in accordance with directives issued by the ITTF.

4.1.2.3 If the business of the ITTF extends outside the period of the Championships the period of hospitality for those entitled to participate in such business shall be extended correspondingly.

4.1.2.4 The organisers shall provide free medical care and medicine for all participants, but each Association is recommended to insure its players and officials against illness and injury for the duration of the Championships.

4.1.2.5 The organisers are recommended to meet the cost of transport between the place of accommodation and the playing hall, and to request its national authorities to waive visa charges for all participants.

4.1.2.6 The organisers shall ensure free access to the playing hall and free circulation therein for all the players, officials and members listed in 4.1.2.2, for any additional players and committee members and for any interpreter, doctor or medical adviser appointed by the ITTF.

4.1.2.7 The organisers shall provide first-class interpreting in at least three languages, preferably by simultaneous translation with the appropriate equipment.

4.1.2.8 The organisers shall provide the ITTF with offices at the venue of the Championships and place at its disposal translation, typing and duplicating facilities.

4.1.2.9 The organisers shall publish a prospectus giving the main details of the organisation of the Championships, including

4.1.2.9.1 the dates and place of the Championships;

4.1.2.9.2 the events to be held;

4.1.2.9.3 the equipment to be used;

4.1.2.9.4 the procedure for entry, the entry fees and the undertakings required;

4.1.2.9.5 the date and place of the draw;

4.1.2.9.6 the dates of Jury meetings and of BGM sessions;

4.1.2.9.7 the extent of hospitality for players and officials;

4.1.2.9.8 any directives authorised by the Council for the Championships.

4.1.2.10 During the Championships the organisers shall make available promptly to ITTF Officers, Council members and team captains details of results, including points scores; as soon as possible after the completion of the Championships the organisers shall publish the complete results, including points scores, and circulate them to all Associations.

4.1.3 Eligibility

4.1.3.1 Only an Association which is not in arrears (1.16.3.3) shall be eligible to enter teams or individual players in the Championships.

4.1.3.2 All players nominated by an Association to represent it in a team event must be eligible to do so in accordance with the provisions of 3.8 and must not have represented a different Association in either of the previous 2 Championships.

4.1.3.3 A player representing an Association for the first time shall provide, if so requested by the Referee, official documentary proof of his eligibility.

4.1.4 Entry Fees and Levy

4.1.4.1 The entry fees shall be £60 for each entry in a team event, £30 for each pair in a doubles event and £15 for each entry in a singles event.

4.1.4.2 The entry fees shall be paid to the organisers at the time of entry and shall become their property.

4.1.4.3 Fees for entries from an Association are due from that Association and shall always be payable, except that the Council may waive the fees where an Association is prevented from participating in the Championships by circumstances outside its control.

4.1.4.4 The organisers shall pay to the ITTF a levy of £350 for each Association entering 1 or 2 teams; 3/4 of the total sum shall be paid before the end of the Championships and the remainder within the following 3 calendar months.

4.1.5 Submission of Entries

4.1.5.1 The intention to enter teams or players shall be notified to the organisers and the ITTF in a preliminary notification form provided by the Secretariat; the closing date for the receipt of this form shall be not later than 4 calendar months before the start of the Championships.

4.1.5.2 Entries shall be submitted on forms distributed, together with the prospectus, by the Secretariat.

4.1.5.3 Two sets of these entry forms shall be returned to the organisers and one set to the Secretariat; the closing date for the receipt of these forms shall be not later than 2 calendar months before the start of the Championships.

4.1.5.4 An Association may nominate up to 5 players and a non-playing captain for a team event; if a non-playing captain is not appointed one of the team players shall be designated as captain.

4.1.5.5 An Association shall rank its nominated players and pairs in order of playing strength.

4.1.5.6 The organisers may accept only formal nominations by an eligible Association which are received, properly signed by a responsible representative of the nominating Association, on or before the closing date.

4.1.6 Modification of Entries

4.1.6.1 Additional or modified entries may be accepted by the organisers, if notified by a representative of the nominating Association, at any time up to the date of the draw.

4.1.6.2 The nominating Association may change the composition of a team by notifying the organisers up to 10 days before the start of the Championships, but thereafter only with the consent of the Jury and in no circumstances after the start of the event.

4.1.6.3 As soon as he arrives at the Championships, the representative of an Association requesting a change to the draw in consequence of any error or absence shall notify the referee or his deputy, or confirm any change already notified, on a form provided for the purpose.

4.1.6.4 A request for modification of an entry cannot be considered unless it is made or confirmed by the representative of an Association immediately on arrival, other than a request based on the subsequent absence, illness or injury of one player of a doubles pair, which shall be made as soon as the contingency arises.

4.1.6.5 A player entered in a team event may be allowed to enter the appropriate singles event, priority being given to any player concerned in a change of which notice has been given in due time.

4.1.6.6 A player included in a team or a singles event may be allowed to pair with the partner of an absent, ill or injured player in a doubles event, provided that he is not already entered in that event with a partner who is present and fit to play.

4.1.6.7 All alterations that are authorised shall be notified immediately to team captains and, where appropriate, to Association representatives.

4.1.7 Entry Obligations

4.1.7.1 The entry form shall contain a statement, to be signed by a responsible representative of the nominating Association on behalf of all its nominated players and captains, that they understand and accept the conditions of the Championships and that they are prepared to compete against all other teams and individuals participating; no entry shall be valid unless accompanied by this declaration.

4.1.7.2 In individual events all entrants are accepted as individual competitors; they shall be bound to do their utmost to win the events for which they are entered, irrespective of whether other entrants from the same Association have been accepted to take part, and they shall not withdraw except for reasons of illness or injury.

4.1.8 Jury

4.1.8.1 Matters of appeal within the jurisdiction of a tournament management committee, and the authorisation of team changes requested later than 10 days before the start of the Championships, shall be the responsibility of the Jury.

4.1.8.2 The Jury shall consist of the Technical Committee, the Chairmen of the Ranking and Rules Committees, the Championships Director (or his equivalent), a representative of the organising committee and the referee; the referee shall have the right to speak but not to vote.

4.1.8.3 If either the Chairman of the Ranking Committee or the Chairman of the Rules Committee is unable to attend a meeting of the Jury he may nominate to attend in his place another member of his Committee, who shall have the right to speak and to vote.

4.1.8.4 The Chairman of the Jury shall be appointed by the Technical Committee.

4.1.8.5 Any Association directly affected by a matter under consideration at a Jury meeting shall be entitled to be represented at that meeting but shall not be entitled to vote.

4.1.8.6 The Jury shall meet before the start of the Championships to be informed of all draw alterations requested up to that time and to decide any outstanding requests for changes in the composition of teams; any subsequent questions of draw alteration shall be decided by the Technical Committee and the Jury shall meet again only when convened by that Committee to consider appeals against its administrative decisions or decisions of the referee.

4.1.9 Events

4.1.9.1 The Championships shall include men's team, women's team, men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles events.

4.1.9.2 The system of play in the team events, in groups and stages, shall be decided by the Council, on the recommendation of the Technical Committee, and shall be notified to all Associations not later than 6 calendar months before the start of the Championships.

4.1.9.3 Team matches shall be the best of 5 singles, as provided in 3.7.6.1.

4.1.9.4 There shall not be more than 128 places in the first round proper of a singles event nor more than 64 places in the first round proper of a doubles event, unless otherwise authorised by the Executive Committee.

4.1.9.5 Each Association shall be entitled to at least a set number of entries in each singles event, but additional entries may be allowed to the organising Association and to other Associations with players near the top of the ranking list current 3 calendar months before the Championships; the number of entries permitted to each Association and the basis on which entries may be assigned to a qualifying competition shall be authorised by the Council and notified to all Associations not later than 6 calendar months before the start of the Championships.

4.1.10 Schedule

4.1.10.1 Team matches may be held after the individual events have started only in emergency and with the permission of the Jury.

4.1.10.2 It is recommended that one day free of play is scheduled during the Championships, preferably between the team and the individual events.

4.1.11 Default

4.1.11.1 An Association whose team is entered in the draw but which fails to compete in the event without adequate justification may be subject to disciplinary action by the BGM.

4.1.11.2 A team may begin, continue and complete a team match only with the full complement of players specified for the event, except that the referee may, at his discretion, allow a team to play with one player absent or an individual match to be omitted from the sequence where he is satisfied that the absence is due to accident, illness, injury or other circumstances outside the control of the player or the Association concerned, including disqualification by the referee in accordance with his authority.

4.1.11.3 An Association whose team begins to play in the event but which fails to complete its schedule of matches shall be liable to forfeit its entitlement to hospitality for its representatives at the Championships; an appeal against forfeit may be made to the Jury, whose decision shall be final.

4.1.12 Anti-Doping Control

4.1.12.1 Anti-doping controls shall be carried out in accordance with directives issued by the Council, which shall be issued to all Associations not later than 6 calendar months before the start of the Championships to which they are to apply.

4.1.12.2 These directives, which shall be based on medical advice, shall include details of the procedure for the conduct of tests and of the imposition of penalties.

4.1.13 Awards and Presentations

4.1.13.1 The permanent Championship trophies shall be:

4.1.13.1.1 the Swaythling Cup for the men's team event;

4.1.13.1.2 the Marcel Corbillon Cup for the women's team event;

4.1.13.1.3 the St Bride Vase for the men's singles event;

4.1.13.1.4 the G Geist Prize for the women's singles event;

4.1.13.1.5 the Iran Cup for the men's doubles event;

4.1.13.1.6 the W J Pope Trophy for the women's doubles event;

4.1.13.1.7 the Heydusek prize for the mixed doubles event.

4.1.13.2 The Association whose team wins a team event, and the winner of an individual event, shall be entitled to hold the appropriate trophy until 31st December in the year following that in which it is won; the pair winning a doubles event shall agree or decide by lot the order in which each of them shall hold the trophy for half of the specified period.

4.1.13.3 A player who wins the men's or women's singles event 3 times in succession or 4 times in all shall receive from the ITTF a half-size replica of the appropriate trophy as a permanent possession.

4.1.13.4 In both team and individual events the winners shall receive gold medals, the losing finalists silver medals and the losing semi-finalists bronze medals.

4.1.13.5 At presentation ceremonies for both team and individual events the national flags of the gold, silver and bronze medal winners shall be raised and the national anthem of the gold medal winner shall be played.

4.1.13.6 The Association whose team or player wins a trophy shall acknowledge its receipt in writing and at the end of the specified period shall deliver it, within 14 days of a formal notification by the Secretariat, at an agreed time and to an agreed place.

4.1.13.7 The Association acknowledging receipt of a trophy shall be responsible for its safe keeping including the arrangement of insurance, but the cost of insurance and of inscription of winners' names, which in team events should include any non-playing captain, shall be borne by the ITTF.

4.1.13.8 If a trophy is lost while in the possession of an Association, that Association shall be responsible for the provision of a similar replacement.

4.1.13.9 A representative of the city in which the Championships is held shall be entitled to hold for the same period as for the Championships trophies the Egypt Cup, the symbol of the friendship of the Championships, handed over at the opening ceremony.

4.1.14 Television

4.1.14.1 The right to televise the Championships shall be vested in the ITTF, which shall receive a levy on any fees paid of £20,000 or 20% of the fees, whichever is the greater, unless otherwise agreed by the Executive Committee.

4.2 WORLD CUP

4.2.1 Composition

4.2.1.1 Separate World Cup Tournaments for men and women will be held annually and each will be a singles competition for 16 players.

4.2.1.2 The participants will consist of the current holder of the World Cup, the champion player or the strongest current player from each of the 6 continents, 1 player from the host Association, the top 6 players from the World Ranking List and 2 "wild card" selections.

4.2.1.3 There shall not be more than 2 players from an Association unless a third is invited as a "wild card" selection.

4.2.1.4 Participants will be provided with free return travel tickets to the venue and with free meals and accommodation from dinner on the evening before the start of the competition to breakfast on the morning after it ends.

4.2.2 Authority

4.2.2.1 The ITTF shall be the sole owner of the World Cup title and tournaments.

4.2.2.2 An Association may be granted permission to organize the tournament; submission of an application to do so shall be regarded as implying knowledge and acceptance of these and all other applicable regulations.

4.2.2.3 The organisers shall not, without prior consent of the ITTF, delegate any of their authority nor make any contract or agreement with any other body, such as a Regional Association, a municipal authority or a sponsor.

4.2.2.4 Any agreement made between the organisers and any other body shall not conflict with nor derogate from the principle of these regulations; in case of any dispute the authority of the ITTF, as exercised through its representatives, shall be paramount.

4.2.2.5 The ITTF may enter into contracts with promoters or sponsors.

4.2.3 Appointments

4.2.3.1 For each tournament the Executive Committee shall appoint, with the approval of the Council, a Tournament Director and a Technical Representative, each of whom shall be an Officer or an ITTF official.

4.2.3.2 The Tournament Director shall be responsible to the Executive Committee for ensuring observance of the conditions laid down for the tournament, including approval of the arrangements made by the organisers for ceremonies and presentations, protocol and seating arrangements at ceremonies and social functions and the presentation of play.

4.2.3.3 The Technical Representative shall be responsible to the Technical Committee for ensuring the adequacy of equipment and playing conditions, supervising the draw and, in collaboration with the Tournament Director, scheduling matches.

4.2.4 Publications

4.2.4.1 The organisers shall submit for the ITTF's prior approval the proposed wording of all posters, publicity material, programmes and other printed matter about the tournament.

4.2.4.2 In addition to meeting the normal requirements for reporting results the organisers shall supply the Secretariat, as soon as possible after the end of the tournament, with an agreed number of copies of all posters, programmes, souvenir programmes and results, an album containing press cuttings and a selection of the best photographs of play and of any ceremonies.

4.2.5 Playing System

4.2.5.1 In the 1st stage of each tournament the players will be divided into 4 equal groups, with all the members of a group playing each other, and in the 2nd stage the group winners and runners-up will compete in a knock-out.

4.2.5.2 For the 1st stage, the highest-ranked player will be placed in Group A, the 2nd highest in Group B, the 3rd highest in Group C and the 4th highest in Group D, and the remaining players will be drawn into the groups 4 at a time in ranking order.

4.2.5.3 If there are 2 players from the same Association, they will be drawn into separate groups but a 3rd player from the same Association may be drawn into any group.

4.2.5.4 For the 2nd stage, the winners of Groups A and B will be placed in positions 1 and 8 and the winners of groups C and D will be drawn between positions 4 and 5; the runners-up will be drawn into the remaining places, in opposite halves from the winners of the same groups.

4.2.5.5 In the semi-finals, the winner of the 1st quarter-final will play the winner of the 2nd and the winner of the 3rd will play the winner of the 4th; the winners of the semi-finals will play each other in the final.

4.2.5.6 The tournaments will be played in accordance with the Laws of Table Tennis and the Regulations for International Competitions, as modified or supplemented by any directives authorised by the Council.

4.2.5.7 Matches in the knock-out stage will be the best of 5 games; all other matches will be the best of 3 games.

4.3 OLYMPICS COMPETITION

4.3.1 Eligibility

4.3.1.1 To be eligible to play in the Olympic Games, a player must

4.3.1.1.1 be nominated, through his NOC, by the Association having jurisdiction over him;

4.3.1.1.2 respect the spirit of fair play and non-violence;

4.3.1.1.3 refrain from the use of any substance prohibited by the regulations of the ITTF or the IOC;

4.3.1.1.4 agree to undergo any medical tests carried out in accordance with the rules of the IOC Medical Commission;

4.3.1.1.5 accept no reward of any kind for participating in the Olympic Games;

4.3.1.1.6 carry no advertisements on his clothing or equipment at the Olympic Games, other than trademarks authorised by the IOC;

4.3.1.1.7 comply with all appropriate ITTF regulations and the rules of the IOC.

4.3.1.2 The observation of the eligibility regulations shall be the responsibility of the Olympics Commission and the NOCs concerned, acting in accordance with the direction of the IOC Eligibility Commission.

4.3.1.3 Any alleged infringement of the eligibility regulations shall be notified to the IOC by the Olympics Commission or the NOC concerned, to be taken into consideration by the IOC Eligibility Commission.

4.3.1.4 A player accused of an infringement of the eligibility regulations shall have the right to request a hearing by the IOC Executive Board, whose decision shall be final.

4.3.2 Events

4.3.2.1 The Olympics competition shall include men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles.

4.3.2.2 All singles matches shall be the best of 5 games.

4.3.3 Anti-Doping Control

4.3.3.1 Anti-doping control shall be carried out in accordance with directives agreed with the IOC.

DIRECTIVES FOR MATCH OFFICIALS AT WORLD TITLE COMPETITIONS

1 The referee and deputy referees shall be International Referees.

2 At least 1/3 of the referees shall be from Associations other than the organising Association and at World Championships there shall be at least 2 from another Continent.

3 All umpires shall be International Umpires, except that at World Championships up to 1/4 of the total may be National Umpires of the organising Association.

4 At World Championships, at least 1/3 of the umpires shall be from Associations other than the organising Association, representing at least 5 Associations and including at least 3 from each Continent.

5 Umpires from the same Association shall be dressed alike.

6 All IUs shall wear the IU lapel badge and organisers are recommended to provide name badges for all match officials.

7 All visiting match officials shall be provided with free accommodation, meals and local transport on the same basis and to the same standard as visiting players, and with pocket money of $US15 or the equivalent for each day of the competition.

8 The names and Associations of all match officials shall be included in the official programme and in staged matches the names of the umpires shall be announced.

9 No match official shall be on duty for more than 8 hours in a day and at World Championships each shall have 1 free day.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OPEN INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

1 FACILITIES

1.1 Hotels should be of at least 3-star standard and with easy access to the playing hall, which ideally should be within walking distance; there should be rooms for 1 or 2 persons, with bath or shower.

1.2 Where necessary, a frequent transport service should be provided between hotel and playing hall; its schedule should be flexible enough to cope with unplanned requirements, such as taking players back to the hotel after a late finish.

1.3 There should be a choice of meals, taking account of any special dietary requirements, and meal times should be flexible and coordinated with the times of playing sessions; refreshments, especially soft drinks, should be available in or near to the playing hall.

1.4 The playing hall should be large enough to accommodate at least 8 tables, in separate playing areas of at least 14m X 7m; there should be a practice hall, or a separate practice area in the main hall, with not fewer than half as many tables as in the main hall and with similar playing conditions.

1.5 Changing rooms should be of a good standard with enough showers and toilets for the numbers of players taking part, preferably with individual lockers for players' clothing; there should also be rest rooms for players and match officials.

1.6 The medical service in the playing hall should be capable of dealing with all likely minor illnesses and injuries and there should be provision for taking anyone needing more extensive treatment to a suitable medical centre or hospital.

2 EVENTS, DRAW AND SCHEDULE

2.1 The events should include men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles and women's doubles; any associated team events should be completed before individual events begin.

2.2 There should be a knock-out of not more than 64 places in singles and not more than 32 places in doubles, with 25% of the places for seeds, 25% for other direct entries, 25% for byes and 25% for qualifiers; singles qualifying competitions should be run on the basis of round-robin groups of at least 4 players.

2.3 Direct entry should be based on ranking except that, where necessary, the organising Association may allocate up to 2 wild card entries in singles and 1 in doubles to ensure that 2 of its players in singles, and 1 of its pairs in doubles, are given direct entry.

2.4 In the knock-out stage, matches should not be scheduled to start before 1000 nor to end after 2200 and no player should be required to play more than 4 matches in a day.

3 MATCH OFFICIALS

3.1 The referee and deputy referees should be International Referees or International Umpires; at least one of these officials should be from a foreign Association.

3.2 At least 30% of the umpires should be IUs from foreign Associations; all visiting umpires and referees should receive free hospitality and a daily allowance equivalent to US$15.

3.3 There should be a qualified umpire and assistant umpire for each match and for any match the umpires should be from Associations other than those of the players taking part.

3.4 Before the tournament the referee should conduct a briefing meeting for umpires and provide them with a schedule of duties, which should not require them to officiate at more than 2 sessions of about 4 hours' duration in a day.

4 PRESENTATION

4.1 The playing hall should be kept tidy and only necessary players and officials allowed in the playing area; around the playing area there should be no refreshment bars or vendors' stands, nor any obtrusive advertisements or bright lights which might disturb players.

4.2 Interesting matches should be scheduled at times and on tables that are convenient for spectators and the media; finals and semi-finals should be properly staged, on not more than 2 tables at once.

4.3 Media personnel should be provided with all necessary services, including access to telephone and fax facilities, and should be supplied promptly with all results and news items; there should be public displays of results, regularly updated.

4.4 Press photographers and TV camera operators should have good access to the playing area, taking account of the interests of spectators and players; there should be one or more rooms in which players can be interviewed by press and TV reporters.