Changes to make the sport spectator friendly

THE recent decision by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) to change the service rule and the point system (11 instead of 21) proves how desperate the administrators of the sport are to make it more spectator friendly and commercially viable.

All the modifications in the past, pertaining to the table as well as the playing equipment, were surely not as complicated as compared to the restriction on the style of serve.

The latest rule on service states: ``There should be nothing between the ball and the entire net, from the moment when the ball is presented in service, until the server hits the ball. ''

This decision, which was taken in the Annual General Meeting during the World Championship in Osaka, will be implemented from September 1, 2002 and the aim is to make spin visible to the receiver during the service.

The ITTF President and CEO, Mr. Adham Sharara admitted in Osaka, ``I am very happy that we can now implement the whole package of rule changes that we planned some years ago. We have already changed the size of the ball from diameter 38mm to 40. Now it is time to take the next steps to be ready for the future.''

The ITTF may succeed in its endeavour to increase the length of rallies but from the players' point of view, without doubt, it will require a major technical adjustment.

Though the change in the service rule was on the ITTF's agenda in the past, what surprised was the timing of the decision. Even as players such as Sweden's Jan Ove Waldner admitted that the ITTF needs to go slow about the changes, the restriction in style of serve was a major one.

It is amazing to know the extent to which the ITTF had sought the variations in serve. As the ITTF Media Committee member and the Chairman of the Classicification and Technical Committee, Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation, Dr. Chandra Madhosingh revealed, ``a server connecting the ball over his head or bouncing the ball on the floor before initiating a point, too, were discussed and rejected, all in effort to increase the length of the rallies.''

The decision to reduce the number of points in a game from 21 to 11 and the matches to be decided over the best of seven or nine games format, is for attracting the advertisers. As Dr. Madhosingh pointed out, ``There are times when the game goes on and on and there is no break. So with 11 points, surely there will be more slots for the advertisers.''

The ITTF is also contemplating the introduction of a glamourous attire for the women's players.

If the initiatives taken by the ITTF in the past are reviewed, it is clear that the introduction of speed glues and usage of two different colour rubbers skewed the rules and technology in favour of an aggressive player.

Though the sport got more attractive with the introduction of the blue surface table and the yellow and orange colour balls in the mid- 80s, the defensive style of play continued to be ignored. As a result, the contest mostly witnessed an attempt to go for the `kill' rather than wearing down the opponent with long chops and blocks.

As a result, a quality defensive player became a rarity. Ever since it became mandatory to use a red and black rubber, the defensive players suffered. It became easier for an attacker to differentiate between the spin from a rubber which has a sponge and the one which was defensive.

Even defensive players such as England's Mathew Syed felt that the sport needed to be slowed down in order to attract bigger audience. ``I am not complaining but we do need some changes to attract youngsters to go for defensive style. I would suggest a higher net. Since the ball has to go down, the execution of strokes will automatically have lesser speed, '' says Syed, who won his third successive Commonwealth Championship in the Capital recently.

As the duration of rallies became shorter and shorter, the ITTF took its first major step by increasing the size of the ball to 40mm ball (bigger by 2mm) after the Sydney Olympics. According to the studies, the rallies became longer by 30 to 40 per cent, while the speed decreased by 6 to 8 per cent. In comparison, the spin imparted has also suffered by 10 to 12 per cent. According to Dr. Madhosingh, other than the changes which have taken place, suggestions in the past have included reducing the width of the rubber (which at maximum can be 4mm including sponge) as well as the usage of the microphones under the table to make it more audible for the television viewers.

It seems the problems pertaining to the usage of a toxic glue have been sorted out to a large extent. ``We have an acetate box in which the bat is tested. If the glue is toxic (containing high degree of benzene, xylene and other components), we get to know through vapour colour on the tube which is inserted inside the box, '' said Dr. Madhosingh, who is a lecturer and faculty advisor in the British Columbia Unversity in Vancouver.

If the problem with the chemical glue continues, the ITTF may opt for a water-based glue. This view was shared by Mr. Sharara (in a Dutch magazine) last year.The ITTF has taken timely steps to slow down the pace. ``The sport that is not ready to change and adapt is doomed to die, '' says Mr. Sharara. It would be interesting to know how much time players take to adjust to these changes.

RITESH GUPTA

New Delhi

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Section  : Sport
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