DTTM: Does the second generation of more drastic changes contain more measures than (perhaps) forbidding fast glue ?

AS: At the moment I don't think so. I'm more concerned with the look of the game on TV and I think that there is a lot of education needed for the organisers, players and officials.

DTTM: You wrote there were very little changes in TT rules during the last twenty years. Not only my opinion is that table tennis has become much faster during the last twenty years. And rally's became shorter. What do you personally think of that development (without thinking about measurements)?

AS: It's a natural development. All sports become faster and more complex. The trick is to keep the "good" development going and to curb the "bad" development. Of course this is a matter of opinion. In my case my point of refernce is our P4 plan: Popularity, Participation, Planning and Profit Finance. If these elements are respected and increased then the change is good. If the change goes against these elements then it's bad.

DTTM: Don't you personally think the game has grown too fast for the layman during that last twenty years (without thinking about measurements too) ?

AS: Yes I think so, but at the top level this is not necessarly bad if it could be properly covered by TV and maybe if we have better rallies more often with the 40mm ball.

DTTM: I obtained the impression you think a lot of small changes will reach the goal of your organisation better than one big change of rules. The players seems to be more important to you, than the game itself. Don't you think - as a chairman of the ITTF - the situation of other competitive sports, the layman's opinion and the media's opinion are more important than just the role of active TT'ers?

AS: The players are the back bone of our sport. Like the actors are the essence of the film or play. Without the actors you have no show. Maybe we should have better tools for the actors to work with. I think that we have wonderful athletes but we must give them the best stage to perform and the best tools to use. Of course we must also think about all the other elements you mention. But a sport could die without the real athletes (glamour and all that...)

DTTM: With all respect, why don't you believe in a big change? Are you afraid of not having enough social base in the ITTF?

AS: Some people think I am changing too much too fast. I guess it's just a matter of opinion. I am not political in our sport I am pragmatic and I believe that the best way to achieve real and permanent change is if it is done one step at a time in small doses "slowly but surely". We can not follow a crash diet, it never works and usually backfires.Such change like we had with long pimples and its aspect ratio, is a very, very small measure. It maybe the same with the bigger ball...
Good things come in small packages.

DTTM: Perhaps unnecessarily, in Dutch culture it is rather normal that journalism is critical. See above questions as a derivate from that culture.