Progress of India is encouraging, says ITTF president Sorling

Petra Sorling, president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), is a quiet, firm, no-nonsense administrator on a mission to take the sport to new markets and wider audiences while ensuring its long-term financial sustainability.

The 55-year-old said her second term (2025-29) will focus on ensuring the ITTF Group achieves long-term financial stability after the Group reported a net deficit of US$14.4 million in 2025, compared with a profit of US$1.5 million the previous year.

“I think we have really built a very strong brand. The presentation of table tennis, not only at WTT (World Table Tennis, the commercial arm of the ITTF) events but at tournaments around the world, is at a much higher level than before because, through WTT, local organisers have improved. We have delivered events all over the world, but we have invested a lot too. That is where financial sustainability comes in. We now have to move into the second phase and make sure we are stable in the long term,” Sorling, who is also the Chair of WTT Board, told The Hindu on the sidelines of UTT Season 7 here.

She added that the ITTF Group had moved beyond its start-up phase and must now establish itself as a financially sustainable organisation.

Sorling was also encouraged by the progress of Indian table tennis, crediting Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) with helping nurture young talent. “I saw Divyanshi (Bhowmick), who is playing for Dabang Delhi. She is just 15 years old and did well at the Asian Youth Championships in Bangkok recently. I am sure we will see many more stars coming from India,” she said.

According to Sorling, the sport still has significant room for growth. “There is so much more to do in many areas. We have new opportunities with artificial intelligence. We also have areas like e-sport table tennis. And at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, we will have the mixed team event, taking table tennis to six medal events. It’s both an opportunity and a challenge because we want to deliver all of this with quality. For that, we have to prioritise,” she said.