ITTF extends suspension of activities till end of July

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Saturday extended the suspension its activities till end of July due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, the ITTF was forced to cancel as many as nine tournaments including two World Tour events amid the ongoing health crisis.

"The current period of suspension of all ITTF events and activities has been extended up until the end of July 2020; the situation is being monitored closely for an eventual restart of ITTF events in August 2020," said the world body in a statement.

The ITTF had also set new dates for the World Team Championships, which were supposed to take place in Busan in March. They were rescheduled to September-October but the decision will be reviewed next month.

"A decision about the status of the Hana Bank 2020 World Team Table Tennis Championships will be made in June 2020.

"ITTF management have been asked to find ways to reduce operation costs overall, including the need for there to be some HR restructure in order to manage 2020 financial realities," the statement added.