DOHA (Qatar): After football and cricket, table tennis players will now be able to review decisions made by umpires with the support of Table Tennis Review (TTR), the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) said in a statement on Thursday.
The new system will be introduced at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, China, (December 12-15).
With the help of highly accurate ball tracking technology, it will be possible to have a point replayed instantly and reviewed by a video match official, who will have the authority to overturn the original decision based on the evidence. Click here for technical details on how TTR will work.
TTR will be implemented by Chinese technology firm RigourTech, selected by the ITTF following a tender process in August this year.
It has already conducted three successful days of behind-the-scenes tests at the 2019 ITTF Men’s World Cup between November 29-December 1 in Chengdu, China.
Should the full-scale implementation at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals prove successful, the ITTF will be looking to ensure that TTR features at more top-tier events in 2020.
“The ITTF is constantly seeking ways to improve and modernise the sport of table tennis. We see TTR as one way of bringing about positive change and providing a mechanism to help settle unclear cases,” said ITTF Competition Director Vicky Eleftheriade.
The ITTF is looking forward to welcoming the new era of technology in table tennis.
“If we are able to reduce the human error or uncertainty through a fair and effective system, we believe this will benefit the players, fans and officials themselves, as has been achieved in a number of sports already,” added Eleftheriade.
