Coronavirus: ITTF world rankings remain unchanged due to event suspension

Official logo of ITTF

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced on Thursday that its world rankings remain the same as released in March due to current suspension of ITTF events caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ITTF added that the rankings for April 2020 will be evaluated and released as soon as the Executive Committee passes judgement, which is expected to be no later than April 15. Then the rankings will be frozen until paddlers are back to action.

Due to the need to further evaluate implications related to postponement of ITTF events and travel restrictions, the current ITTF rankings remain the same as those released in March, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ranking points corresponding to events that took place in March will be taken into consideration and added to the ITTF rankings before the April edition is released.

As for the 2020 ITTF Challenge Polish Open, which was suspended before the main draw started, a decision will be made on the ranking points distribution.

Earlier, the ITTF president and staff decided to take voluntary salary reduction in 2020 to help the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a mass postponement of events. The ITTF announced on March 29 that all international table tennis events would be suspended until June 30.