In 1912, German scientist Alfred Wegener caused quite a stir when he proposed the theory of what is now known as plate tectonics. Wegener argued that continental masses could shift around the Earth, forming new land masses like the supercontinent Pangaea over 300 million years ago. Now, another German visionary is shaking things up with new ideas about continental alignment. Thomas Weikert, President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), is keenly aware of the concentration of table tennis events along the "table tennis belt" stretching from Europe to Eastern Asia. Weikert and his CEO Steve Dainton see this geographic monopoly as a limiting factor in the sport's global growth potential. From such concerns arise novel solutions. The ITTF now stands on the verge of its own seismic shift as it launches World Table Tennis (WTT), an unabashedly commercial enterprise aimed at broadening both the player pool and the fan base of table tennis to all 226 of its member nations around the world. Beginning in 2021, the ITTF World Championships will be restructured as a series of regional, national and continental tournaments funneling into the main event. This move is designed to ensure the involvement of all regions of the world, especially those long overlooked by the ITTF. One such region is essentially the entire western hemisphere. In its 94-year-history, the ITTF World Championships have never been held in North or South America. This is due to change next year when Houston, Texas will host the World Championships. Of course, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, nothing is certain, but this remains the plan. The ITTF currently subsumes North America under two different umbrellas: ITTF North America and the North American Table Tennis Union (NATTU). While the purpose of the dual designation is unclear, it is clear that neither has heretofore managed to attract much of the ITTF's attention away from its bread and butter in the pong belt. This, however, is likely to change, if USA Table Tennis (USATT) CEO Virginia Sung has anything to say about it. Luckily, she does, and as of yesterday, she has the platform of NATTU President from which to say it. "I’m honored to be selected to this role with NATTU,” said Sung. “My goal is to develop a cooperative group of nations in this part of the world who are dedicated to collaboratively growing this great sport in our continental region." The appointment was warmly greeted by the national governing bodies of table tennis in Canada and the Bahamas. Representatives from Bermuda and the US Virgin Islands, however, were suspiciously silent. Nonetheless, the appointment of a proven leader such as Sung in a position of international influence at a time of global restructuring bodes well for the future of table tennis in the Americas. She wasted no time in proposing that ITTF North America join forces with NATTU to form one cohesive continental coalition. It appears both Wegner and Weikert were right. Just as the Earth can restructure itself, so too can we realign ourselves within it.

More at USATT