"There is nothing wrong with change," said Winston Churchill, adding the caveat, "if it is in the right direction." Change, of course, is the one thing which remains constant. This perennial paradox provides plenty of provender for pundits, whether they fear or embrace it. Now, in the midst of the most tumultuous time in modern memory, comes a sea change in the structure of international table tennis competition. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the sport's governing body since 1926, is all in on a new commercial venture called "World Table Tennis" (WTT). The explicit goal of WTT is to capitalize on the global appeal of table tennis. Toward this end, WTT will each year feature four "Grand Smash" events in the mold of the Grand Slam tournaments in golf and tennis. In order to incentivize participation from top players, WTT will award 2000 world ranking points to each Grand Smash winner. This puts the quarterly events on a par with the biennial World Championships and quadrennial Olympics in terms of points awarded, and ahead of the 1500 points allotted for the World Cup. "Grand Smashes as our marquee events will unlock the potential of table tennis and help further grow the industry of the sport," says ITTF CEO Steve Dainton. "It will have a tremendous impact on the overall development of table tennis worldwide, ultimately bringing benefit to all stakeholders, not just our players and fans, but to our member associations as well." While players wait to see how the new system will affect their careers, some member associations such as Germany and France have already expressed concern about the WTT's unchecked consolidation of power. Change is inevitable. What remains to be seen, however, is whether it is in the right direction.

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