"I love it when a plan comes together," as you assuredly know, is the catchphrase of John "Hannibal" Smith on 1980s TV staple, "The A-Team." Played by George Peppard, the cigar-chomping "Hannibal" was the leader of a rogue band of United States Army Special Forces soldiers. His namesake, the Carthaginian general Hannibal, is best known for crossing the Italian Alps with elephants to attack the Roman Empire. Both military leaders were renowned for their inventiveness and strategic mastery. Now, another bold leader in a different arena is enjoying the coalescence of his ambitions. Since 2017, Australia's Steve Dainton (pictured) has served as CEO of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Working under embattled President Thomas Weikert, Dainton has spearheaded World Table Tennis (WTT), the revolutionary commercial reincarnation of our sport. With the explicit goal of making as much money as possible, WTT saw its official debut this March in Doha. WTT tournaments offer prize purses far above the norm in table tennis, an investment they hope to recoup with more aggressive marketing. On the heels of its successful Doha debut, WTT has announced the European premiere this August 15-20 in Budapest. Opening one week after the conclusion of table tennis events at the Olympics, WTT Contender Budapest will offer $75,000 in prizes. Now comes news that Dainton has been promoted to the role of ITTF Group CEO. As such, Dainton will continue in his role as ITTF CEO. Furthermore, he will not only oversee his brainchild, WTT, but also the ITTF Foundation, the do-gooder arm of the ITTF. While this sounds like more than anyone could be expected to juggle, Dainton is a happy victim of his own success. Despite the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, not to mention the political infighting of the ITTF, Dainton has maneuvered his plan forward with a mastery worthy of either Hannibal. The new ITTF Group CEO can now put his feet up on the desk of his Singapore office, light up a celebratory stogie, and invoke the immortal line in his Australian accent: "I love it when a plan comes together."

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