Latest news with #Soerling
Kuwait Times
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Qatar table tennis says ‘prepared to escalate' after chaotic vote
DOHA: Qatar's table tennis association has warned of possible legal action as it disputes the result of a stormy leadership election for the Olympic sport's world governing body in Doha. The Qatari association, whose president Khalil Al-Mohannadi narrowly failed to dislodge Sweden's Petra Soerling as head of the International Table Tennis Federation, said it was 'prepared to escalate' the matter. Tuesday's 104-102 vote to Soerling ended in such acrimony that the ITTF's annual general meeting was suspended. The world body said the assembly was 'disrupted by outsiders' after the election result was announced. A Qatar Table Tennis Association spokesperson, in comments sent to AFP on Monday, said it was 'actively reviewing all legal and procedural options... We believe there are sufficient grounds to question the validity of the election process'. 'We are also consulting with legal experts to ensure that, if necessary, we are prepared to escalate the matter through appropriate international sports arbitration channels,' the spokesperson said. 'The outcome of the election cannot be considered settled until all procedural questions have been independently reviewed,' the spokesperson added. On Thursday, the ITTF said it would investigate the disturbance by people, believed to be Mohannadi supporters, who 'were neither delegates from member associations, nor members of the executive board, council, committees, or invited guests'. It said the election was conducted 'in strict accordance with the ITTF constitution and statutes' and that it 'rejects the misconceived statement by some member associations to recognize any other result'. After Tuesday's vote, Soerling told Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter she felt unsafe and left the meeting with the help of staff from the Swedish embassy in Doha. The QTTA spokesperson said 'at no point was her safety compromised', while acknowledging that Soerling 'may have felt uncomfortable, as many of us did in what was an emotionally charged and unexpected outcome'. 'We note that in highly politicized environments, it can sometimes benefit certain individuals to sensationalize events,' the spokesperson said, speculating that Soerling may have been 'misquoted or misinterpreted'. — AFP
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
LA 2028 Olympics Games venue for table tennis too small, says ITTF president Soerling
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics table tennis venue is too small for the needs of the sport amid growing global popularity, said the head of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), Petra Soerling, on Thursday. The table tennis competition at the 2028 Games will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, a venue for several other sports during the Games, including wrestling and judo. LA Games organisers announced the venues back in April. For table tennis the capacity is around 7,000, Soerling said. That is a similar size to the Paris 2024 Olympics venue for the sport last year. 'In Los Angeles we think our venue is too small,' Soerling told a group of international news agencies. 'The location is excellent but I am sad to say we can only be maximum seven thousand. 'We are selling out bigger venues than that. Let's see what we can do. There is still time,' she added. Soerling, who is running for another term as ITTF president on May 28, said the sport had witnessed growth in recent years and got a massive boost by the success of the Paris Olympics in 2024. ALSO READ: Olympic silver medallist Truls Moregard injured in drone accident during training 'We want to grow more, and the momentum we saw after Paris is just the beginning,' Soerling said. 'It is not only in China. It is also in other places. 'We have never seen what we are facing now. Seeing venues sold out in less than 20 minutes. We have a number one for the under-11 from Uganda. The Paris Olympics and Paralympics were sold out.' The ITTF will also host its first Grand Smash event -- the top tier tournament of the ITTF's commercial arm World Table Tennis -- in Las Vegas in July this year, the first time it has been held outside Asia. This will then be followed by a Grand Smash event in Sweden's Malmoe in August. 'We can see there is this big appetite,' Soerling said.
Reuters
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
LA 2028 Games venue for table tennis is too small-ITTF President
BERLIN, May 15 (Reuters) - The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics table tennis venue is too small for the needs of the sport amid a growing global popularity, said the head of the International Table Tennis Federation Petra Soerling on Thursday. The table tennis competition at the 2028 Games will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, a venue for several other sports during the Games, including wrestling and judo. LA Games organisers announced the venues back in April. For table tennis the capacity is around 7,000, Soerling said. That is a similar size to the Paris 2024 Olympics venue for the sport last year. "In Los Angeles we think our venue is too small," Soerling told a group of international news agencies. "The location is excellent but I am sad to say we can only be maximum seven thousand. "We are selling out bigger venues than that. Let's see what we can do. There is still time," she added. Soerling, who is running for another term as ITTF president on May 28, said the sport had witnessed growth in recent years and got a massive boost by the success of the Paris Olympics in 2024. "We want to grow more and the momentum we saw after Paris is just the beginning," Soerling said. "It is not only in China. It is also in other places. "We have never seen what we are facing now. Seeing venues sold out in less than 20 minutes. We have a number one for the under-11 from Uganda. The Paris Olympics and Paralympics were sold out." The ITTF will also host its first Grand Smash event -- the top tier tournament of the ITTF's commercial arm World Table Tennis -- in Las Vegas in July this year, the first time it has been held outside Asia. This will then be followed by a Grand Smash event in Sweden's Malmoe in August. "We can see there is this big appetite," Soerling said.
