The QTTA president aims to be the first Arab to head the global body since its founding in 1926.

Germany’s Thomas Weikert is the current ITTF president, after taking over from Canadian Adham Sharara in 2014. Speaking to Qatar Tribune about the decision, Mohannadi said he decided to vie for the position after due consultation with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) under the leadership of HE Sheikh Joaan bin
Hamad al Thani who not only gave the approval but also supported his bid. “I’m happy with the support and approval for my bid by HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad al Than
i and for the confidence he and the QOC board
have in me regarding my candidature for the presidency of this noble body. I have developed a good relationship with all the national bodies and I believe I have a good chance of winning come next May,”
Mohannadi said. who became the first Arab to be presented with the ITTF merit award on the sidelines of the Perfect World Team Table Tennis Championships held in Kuala Lumpur in March, said he will officially file his nomination papers during the Rio Olympic Games. “I believe the experience I have garnered over the years in the various positions I have served will come handy in moving the federation and our sport forward,” said the sport administrator who joined the board of ITTF in 2001 and became an Executive Committee member.
in 2005 before becoming its deputy president in 2014. “Table tennis is developing at a fast pace and the

game is spreading widely. I am putting myself forward as a candidate that will not only move the sport to the next level but also help in accelerating the development of the game on a global scale,” Mohannadi
added. Meanwhile, Qatar is equally bidding for the 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships.
Doha hosted the maiden World Championships in 2004 while the 2018 edition of the biyearly tournament
will be held in Halmstad, Sweden. The 2016 edition was held in
The Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) President Khalil Ahmed al Mohannadi has announced his candidacy for the position of president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
during the election which will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, in May 2017. Mohannadi, who is presently the deputy president of the ITTF, is equally the Vice- President of Arab Table Tennis Association as well as the
Vice-President of Asian Table Tennis Union. If the QTTA head wins the election, which will also choose new office bearers, he will be the first Arab to hold the exalted position of the head of the world’s largest sport federation, with 222 member countries, as well as its eighth president since its inception in 1926.