President flees to embassy: Table tennis association investigates after scandalous congress in Qatar

President flees to embassy Table Tennis Association investigates after scandalous congress in Qatar 30.05.2025, 05:47

At the end of a scandalous general meeting in Doha, the newly re-elected president of the World Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) is forced to flee to the Swedish embassy. The congress is canceled. DTTB CEO Dörner expressed his shock to ntv.de. An investigation is now underway.

Two days after the annual general meeting was canceled under scandalous circumstances, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) responded to the events in Doha and announced that it would launch an investigation. At the same time, the congress must be reconvened "to address the agenda items that could not be addressed."

Swedish incumbent Petra Sörling ran against Qatari challenger and ITTF Vice President Khalil Al-Mohannadi in the presidential election. Sörling, who succeeded current DOSB President Thomas Weikert in 2021, ultimately prevailed by a narrow margin of 104 votes to 102 and was confirmed in office until 2029.

According to the ITTF, Al-Mohannadi's camp subsequently made "unfounded allegations of irregularities" in the election process, which the association addressed in a lengthy statement on Thursday, stating: "The ITTF rejects the erroneous statement by some member associations that it would accept a different result." A hybrid voting procedure was used in Doha, with 185 voting in person and 21 voting online.

DTTB boss Dörner: "Aggressiveness surprised me"

According to several media outlets, after the election results were announced, Sörling left the hall due to threats and sought refuge in the Swedish Embassy in Doha. The ITTF noted: "Following the conclusion of the presidential election, the Annual General Meeting had to be adjourned due to disruptions caused by individuals who were neither delegates of the member associations nor members of the Executive Board, Council, Committees, or invited guests." The world governing body "deplores and condemns the disruption in the strongest possible terms."

Wolfgang Dörner, Chairman of the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB), expressed his shock at the events in Qatar to ntv.de. "The close election result was to be expected. The subsequent aggressiveness in the discussion about the voting procedure surprised me. In the German Table Tennis Federation, we are following further developments surrounding the presidential election very closely," Dörner, who was present in Doha, said. "We expect the ITTF to have the relevant bodies carefully examine the open questions and clarify them in a comprehensible manner. The credibility of a sports federation stands and falls with the integrity of its procedures."