TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION OF MALAYSIA

ORGANIZATION of any national championships is a complex and difficult task, all the more so because the people upon whose shoulders ultimate responsibility falls are doing the job in a voluntarily capacity.

 

THESE notes are compiled as a result of experiences at many championships domestic and internationally and therefore, will act as a guide to the organizers to identify and solve the problems that they may face in every aspect of the event.

 

THESE guidelines must be complied with by all organizers. However organizers should not hesitate to contact TTAM Secretariat for advice, should they face any problem or are unclear regarding these instructions.

 

HON. SECRETARY of State Table Tennis Associations, TTAM Technical Representatives, Organizing Secretary and all relevant committee must read this guide carefully and thoroughly in order to understand their duties and obligations and to carry out their duties diligently and efficiently without fear or favour.

 

1. AUTHORITY TO ORGANISER

The authority to organize any national championships, whether annually or otherwise is granted to a state association by the Executive Committee, Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM). State Table Tennis Association may at its discretion give the authority to Organizing Committee to one of its affiliates, but the final responsibility rests with the State TTA.

 

The authority to organize should be granted one year in advance by TTAM to State TTA.

 

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2. OWNERSHIP AND RIGHTS

It is to be recognized that National Championships remain, at all time, the property of TTAM.

 

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3. THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE

The Organizing Committee shall consist of the following:

1) Chairman / Deputy Chairman / Vice Chairmen

2) Organizing Secretary / Asst. Organizing Secretary

3) Treasurer / Asst. Treasurer

4) Technical Committee TD / Referee / Deputy Referee(s) / Referee’s Asst.

5) Tournament Committee

6) Records & Results Committee

7) Umpires Committee

8) Hall & Equipment Committee

9) Secretariat & Ceremony Committee 

10) Food & Accommodation Committee

11) Transport Committee

12) Publicity Committee

13) Medical & First Aid

 

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4. THE DATES

The tentative dates of the Championships shall be announced by TTAM Ex-Co at the beginning of each year in consultation with the host association. These dates must be confirmed by State TTA SIX (6) months before the event.

 

The duration for the competition shall be FIVE (5) days for all the national events with the proposed championships schedule as follow:

Day 1    Teams Arrival / Meetings / Practice / Opening Ceremony

Day 2    Team Competition (Preliminary Round)

Day 3    Team Competition (QF/SF/Finals) Individual Events (Preliminary Rounds)

Day 4     Individual Events (Preliminary / Quarter Finals)

Day 5     Individual Events (SF/Finals) / Closing Ceremony

 

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5. THE VENUE

The venue shall be selected by State TTA in consultation with TTAM and shall be confirmed SIX (6) months before the event. The TD shall be invited to inspect the venue to confirm the suitability of the playing venue. The TD shall advice the OC on the requirement of the playing venue.

All expenses incurred for the inspection of the venue by TD shall be borne by the OC.

 

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6. PROSPECTUS

The Technical Committee TTAM shall update the approved rule change and confirm the Championships Prospectus before it is distributed to the State TTAs.

 

Name and contact number of the appointed Technical Delegate and Referee(s) shall be mentioned in the prospectus.

 

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7. BULLETINS

The OC is required to publish THREE (3) issues of the Championships Bulletin with the contents as follow:

Bulletin 1: Official Invitation to State TTAs with Championships Prospectus and Entry Forms.

Bulletin 2: Results of Team Draws, City Map, List and rates of hotels with contacts person and H/P numbers for

                    booking.

Bulletin 3: Overall Championships Schedule with date and time for Managers Meeting, Umpires Briefing,

                    Contact Person(s) for internal transport etc.

 

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8. SPONSORS / CO-SPONSORS

TTAM has named MILO as title sponsor for the Hopes and Youth Championships in return for their financial contribution.

 

Under no circumstances, the title sponsor can be given by the OC to any other commercial company. However, TTAM will have no objection to OC appointing co-sponsors in the Hopes and Youth national championships. Host association may appoint their title sponsor for the Malaysian Table Tennis Championships.

 

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9. EQUIPMENTS

The right of approval on the use of any equipment is rested with TTAM.

No ball, tables, score counter etc shall be used without the expressed approval of TTAM as the latter would have some exclusive right given to the approved manufacturers.

 

Organizing Committee shall ensure that TTAM’s approval is given before announcement,

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10. SOUVENIR PROGRAMME

There are 2 types of official documents for the event.

 

10.1 The Souvenir Programme which contains all information on Organizing Committee, Prospectus, Directives and Messages from VIP etc.

 

TTAM would insist that in the Souvenir Programme, the following shall be inserted:

a. TTAM President's Message

b. Title Sponsor's Message c. List of TTAM Ex-Co members

 

10.2 The Fixtures - It is flexible but it shall contain:

a. The names of all players & their numbers

b. The time schedule of the matches

 

It shall be printed in Bahasa Malaysia or English for easy reference, (with Chinese as optional).

 

11. CEREMONIES AND FUNCTIONS

It is not encouraged to have long opening or closing ceremonies as the players will be adversely affected. It is advised to have the welcoming dinner (if any) be hosted at the Opening Ceremony. However, dinner function is optional. TTAM President or his representative shall be invited for the Opening or Closing Ceremony. He shall be invited to address at the ceremony.

 

For the Opening Ceremony, it will suffice to have:

a. Welcoming Speech by OC Chairman       5 min

b. Speech by TTAM President (or his rep.)   5 min

c. Speech by Guest of Honor                        5 min

d. Ceremony                                                 10 min

e. Introduction to Team Managers                5 min

                                                           Total: 30 min

 

For the Closing Ceremony, all players must be reminded to be in full uniform if he is receiving the prize. Improper attired should be prevented from going up to the rostrum.

 

Victory podium shall be provided for prize presentation. One closing speech of thanks would be sufficient.

 

12. TECHNICAL DELEGATES (TD)

Technical Delegates (TD), the number of which to be decided by the TTAM Technical Committee, shall be appointed. The TDs are to be invited as technical advisers to the Organizing Committee (OC) and to attend the draws. TD shall have full authority to advise OC in all technical matters of the event.

 

It is very crucial that TD must exercise his authority over the technical arrangement by the event. He must act as arbitrator, jury and controller with full authority and is able to tell the OC what has gone wrong and to rectify it on the spot.

 

TD and Deputy TD (if required) are to be paid the transport from home town to venue and a daily allowance of RM120 and RM100 respectively by OC. TD shall be paid the allowance which includes the working and competition days and extra days of accommodation shall be provided before and after the competition.

 

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13. INVITATION TO REFEREES AND UMPIRES

The appointment of the Referee and Deputy Referee(s) shall be appointed by URC TTAM and they must be qualified International Referees / National Referees / International Umpires.

 

The Organizing Committee may appoint qualified umpires for the Championships. However, State nominated umpires shall be registered and qualified umpires with prior approval by TTAM URC.

 

A training course (National Umpires Course) shall be conducted by the TTAM URC prior to the Hopes and Youth championships. Organizing Committee shall be responsible for the organizing of this course includes the transport and hospitality for the course instructor(s).

 

Referee, Deputy Referee(s) and Umpires are to be paid the following daily allowances according to their qualifications:

Referee (IR/NR) - RM 100.00

Deputy Referee (IR/NR/IU) - RM 90.00

Deputy Referee (NU) - RM 80.00

International Umpires - RM 80.00

National Umpires - RM 70.00

State Umpires - RM 60.00

 

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14. RANKING LIST

Ranking list shall be prepared by the TTAM Technical Committee for the draw. The decision of the TTAM Technical Committee on this matter is final. Any appeal on ranking or seeding can only be reviewed by the Jury of each tournament.

 

15. DRAW FOR TEAM EVENT

State TTAs must confirm their preliminary entries (Entry by Numbers) in team event and individual events THREE (3) months before event.

 

It is possible for any state to confirm their entry to team event at least FIVE (5) weeks ahead. Hence, TTAM would make it a standing rule that the draw for the team event will be conducted five weeks before the championships date.

 

It is important for the OC and Referee to take note that swapping of players from different age groups (for Hopes and Youth) shall not be allowed. List of players has to be submitted by State TTAs before conducting the Team Draw.

 

16. TIME SCHEDULE FOR TEAM EVENT

 

OC will have ample time to prepare a time schedule for team event and give publicity for the event.

 

17. DRAW FOR INDIVIDUAL EVENT

 

 

It is unthinkable and inexcusable that on this modern age of telecommunications, the confirmation of individual event could not be done by State Associations on stated date and time.

 

Draw will be conducted by the Referee after the Team Managers' meeting on the 1st day of the competition.

 

Change of players can only be allowed if agreed to by the Jury. The Jury deserves the right to reject the request of changes. However, penalty/fine shall be imposed for change of players accordingly.

 

18. PRESS CONFERENCE & PRESS CENTRE

 

 

This is one subject which OC often neglects because of their wrong conception that press will find their own way in the Tournament. TTAM will always call one official Press Conference in Kuala Lumpur to announce the sponsors and to give the information of the event.

 

Organizing Committee should do with one or two press conferences to give other details.

 

In every tournament, there should be one media centre or media room where the press people are invited to use. Some refreshments should be prepared. The press centre should be out of bound for other unauthorized personnel and should be open until later at night after the matches. TTAM will appoint a Press Liaison Officer officially for each event to assist OC in the respect.

 

19. SPONSORS' ADVERTISEMENTS

 

 

This is another area which Organizing Committee often neglects. The sponsor's contribution is the most important factor for the success of the event. Hence, Organizing Committee shall pay greater attention to the DISPLAY OF THEIR ADVERTISEMENTS, TTAM must approve the percentage between titled sponsors and other co-sponsors.

 

TTAM will assign an official contractor to supervise the display of the advertisements and transport the materials to and from the venue. OC must provide suitable storage place for the safe keeping of these materials and the manpower to assist in the display. All other advertisements to be displayed must have the prior approval of TTAM to avoid conflict of interest.

 

An infringement of the above ruling may result in having the grant reduced or cancelled all together.

 

20. UNIFORM AND ATTIRES

 

 

The need to have good and smart appearance of the officials and players is to be reminded repeatedly.

All umpires shall wear uniform provided by the OC/sponsors and the colour of the uniform shall NOT be similar to the colour of the ball.

 

Referee shall enforce the rule on uniformity of playing attires.

 

Players who are required to receive the prizes at the rostrum shall wear their uniform or proper playing attire.

 

21. IDENTIFICATION OF OFFICIALS AND PLAYERS

Accreditation Card: ID Cards shall be provided to the OC members and Team Officials and Players of the participating teams. This will help to identify the authorized persons permitted to enter the playing arena and/or to sit as authorized persons as required in Rules xxx.

 

Number Bits: Number bits shall be provided to all participating players. The bits shall be printed with abbreviations followed by the numbers as stated below:

 

Abbreviations for States: ATM (AT); Johor (JH); Kedah (KD); Kuala Lumpur (KL); Labuan (LB); Melaka (MK); Negeri Sembilan (NS); Perak (PK); Perlis (PL); Pulau Pinang (PP); Putrajaya (PU); Sabah (SB); Sarawak (SK); Selangor (SL); Terengganu (TR).

 

Number Bits:

For National Youth Championships   

101 to 107 (Under 18 Boys)       201 to 207 (Under 18 Girls)

301 to 307 (Under 15 Boys)       401 to 407 (Under 15 Girls)

 

For National Hopes Championships   

101 to 107 (Under 13 Boys)        201 to 207 (Under 13 Girls)

301 to 307 (Under 10 Boys)        401 to 407 (Under 10 Girls)

 

For Malaysia TT championships

101 to 107 (Men’s Players)         201 to 207 (Women’s Players)

 

Examples:

JH101 represent Johor Under-18/13 Boys’ Player

SB401 represent Sabah Under-15/10 Girls’ Player

 

22. FACILITIES

 

Wherever possible, for the convenience of the officials and players, the following facilities are to be provided:

a. Medical Facilities : This could be done with the help of assigned Medical Officer/Red Crescent/St. John. Clinics with 24-hour service shall be informed of their location to the teams.

 

b. Officials and Players Lounge : This rest room can be provided where players are officials could rest between matches and have some form of refreshment (either paying or free).

 

c. Food Facilities : With the present trend of time schedule, because of time factor, players may not be able to return to their hotel for lunch, dinner, etc, hence it is advisable to have some eating facilities in the venue for the players/officials.

 

d. Shuttle Bus Service : Organizing Committee shall provide shuttle bus service if the distance between venue and hotel is too far for walking. Bus schedule must be displayed and observed punctually. It must be approved by the TD.

 

23. ACCOMMODATION

With effect from 2009, all participating State TTAs will be responsible for their own accommodation. The OC must provide them with a list of hotels with room rates and to assist them in the bookings of hotel rooms.

The OC shall provide accommodation at hotel for the TTAM officials, Technical Delegate(s), Referee (if not from host state) and members of the TTAM Technical Committee and URC (if any)

 

24. INTERNAL TRANSPORT

The OC shall provide internal transport for TTAM Officials, Technical Delegate(s), Referee (if not from host state), members of TTAM Technical Committee and URC (if any) and outstation umpires.

If state in Peninsular is the host, transportation shall be provided for teams from East Malaysia from airport to hotel on arrival and departure and likewise, host in East Malaysia shall do the same for teams from Peninsular.

 

25. RESULT CHARTS AND DAILY RESULTS

Daily results must be issued as soon as possible after the matches are over. Distribution must be made to the teams and the press.

 

Result Chart should be displayed for information to the team officials, players as well as the public and shall be updated from time to time.

 

2 copies of the complete results in hardcopy and/or softcopy shall be given to the participating teams immediately after the championships.

 

3 copies of the complete results in hardcopy and/or softcopy shall be sent to TTAM together with the championships report by OC secretary after the championships.

 

26. PLAYERS SEATING

In order to keep the players together during match time and for ease of control, an area of seating should be provided for players, especially in final rounds. It is very unsightly to have players crowding around the playing arena, shouting and behavior unruly, it gives a bad impression of the game. OC must look at this matter more seriously and observe ITTF rules diligently.

 

27. CONCLUSION

In no way the above guide is complete and perfect but it is provided so that the Organizing Committee and Officials involved will be guided accordingly and will be able to work with confidence for the success of the event. It is for the good of our beloved game -Table Tennis that we receive the cooperation from all concerned.