ITTF President Petra Sörling and Chief Executive Officer Steve Dainton visited the ITTF Museum in Shanghai this week, welcomed by ITTF Honorary President Xu Yinsheng and receiving a guided tour of the displays celebrating the sport’s heritage. During the visit, they delivered a Paris 2024 Olympic Torch, which will be placed on public display as part of the museum’s collection.

The visit also provided an opportunity for constructive discussions on the museum’s future operations. ITTF and the local operating partner in Shanghai are working towards a renewed framework to ensure the museum continues to thrive and better serves fans, players, researchers, and the wider table tennis community.

President Petra Sörling said: “The ITTF Museum safeguards our sport’s shared story. Adding the Paris 2024 torch is a powerful symbol of our growing legacy, and it is especially meaningful as the ITTF celebrates its Centenary next year.”

CEO Steve Dainton added: “This is a chance to build on what has been achieved. By strengthening cooperation and refining roles and processes, we can enhance curation, accelerate digitisation, and create more value for our sport.”

Based in the heart of Shanghai, the ITTF Museum opened in 2018 to preserve and share the global history of table tennis, housing historic equipment, trophies, documents, and multimedia that trace the evolution of the sport from its origins to the present day.