Table Tennis Rules Q & A

Jeff Tran asked:

Greg,

TT Rules 2.4.4 (The covering material shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material.)

If the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers is left uncovered, then
1. does that area need to also be coloured red or black? and
2. when gluing the rubbers on the bat, is it necessary that the rubber still show "ITTF"?

Jeff

Greg replied:

To answer your first question, there is no requirement in the rules for the space left uncovered near the fingers to be coloured red or black, so it would be OK to leave it uncovered and uncoloured. Another interesting
question would be whether you are allow to colour it at all (ie a different colour etc - no mention of this in the rules (apart from it being any material), but I would guess it would be frowned upon.)

For your second question, according to Rule 7.1.2 of the Match Officials Handbook,

Rule 7.1.2 In competitions played under international regulations the covering must be of a type authorised by the ITTF. Coverings authorised in this way carry the ITTF logo and the maker’s logo or trademark, and players are required to attach the rubber to the blade so that these identifying features are clearly visible near the edge of the striking surface so that they can be checked by the umpire.

So the answer to this question would be yes, it must still show the "ITTF" logo.

Regards,

Greg Letts 11th March 2006

Copyright Greg Letts 2006

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