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ITTF 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v.
ITTF & Petra Sörling
DECISION
Issued by the
ITTF Tribunal
Sitting in the following composition:
Hearing Panel Chair: Ms Anna Smirnova, Attorney-at-Law, Russian Federation
Panel Members: Mrs Morenike Obi-Farinde, Attorney-at-Law, Nigeria
Mr Olivier Ducrey, Attorney-at-Law, Switzerland
In the following matter:
Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi, Qatar,
&
Qatar TTA,
Represented by Mr Alexander Zen-Ruffinen, Attorney-at-Law with InLaw
Associes, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
The Appellants
v.
ITTF
&
Ms Petra Sörling, Sweden
Represented by Mr Antonio Rigozzi & Mr Patrick Pithon, Attorneys-at-Law with
Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler, Geneva, Switzerland
The Respondents
ITTF
ITTF TRIBUNAL
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 2/28
I. THE PARTIES
1. Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi, Executive Senior Vice-President of the
ITTF (hereinafter, "ITTF"), president of the
Qatar Table Tennis Association (hereinafter, the "First Appellant").
2. Qatar Table Tennis Association, member association of the ITTF,
governing the sport of table tennis in Qatar (hereinafter, "QTTA" or the
"Second Appellant"; the First Appellant and the Second Appellant
hereinafter jointly referred to as the "Appellants").
3. ITTF, the world governing body of table
tennis (hereinafter, "ITTF" or the "First Respondent").
4. Ms Petra Sörling, member of the Executive Board of the ITTF, national of
Sweden (hereinafter, the "Second Respondent"; the First Respondent and
the Second Respondent hereinafter jointly referred to as the
"Respondents").
5. The Appellants and the Respondents are hereinafter jointly referred to as
the "Parties".
II. SUMMARY OF FACTS
6. Below is a summary of the main relevant facts and allegations based on the
Parties' written and oral submissions. Additional facts and allegations may
be set out, where relevant, in connection with the legal discussion that
follows. Although the ITTF Tribunal Hearing Panel (hereinafter,
the "Hearing Panel") has considered all the facts, allegations, legal
arguments and evidence submitted by the Parties in the present
proceedings, reference in this decision is made only to the submissions and
evidence that are deemed necessary to explain the reasoning.
7. The dispute in question revolves around the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
of the ITTF held on 27 May 2025 in Doha, Qatar (hereinafter, the
"AGM 2025") and the election of the ITTF President, which was specified as
Item 24 on the agenda for the AGM 2025 (hereinafter, the "Agenda AGM
2025"). For the ease of reference, the Hearing Panel below summarizes the
factual background chronologically.
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Convocation of the AGM 2025
8. On 27 November 2024, the ITTF Secretary General (hereinafter, the
"ITTF SG") issued the "Notice of Business ITTF Annual General Meeting
2025", whereby he notified inter alia that "the ITTF Annual General Meeting
(AGM) 2025 will be held on Tuesday, 27th May 2025, in Doha Qatar". The
deadlines for propositions and resolutions for the ITTF AGM and ITTF Council
in 2025 were set for 27 January 2025, 23:59 CEST and for nominations for
the Executive Board, ITTF Council and Permanent Committees on
26 February 2025, 23:59 CEST.
9. On 27 February 2025, the ITTF SG circulated the communication where inter
alia the following was specified:
"This letter is related to the entries of the groups addressed above. For
the avoidance of doubt: Delegates of ITTF Member Associations
attending the AGM, ITTF Executive Board, ITTF Council, ITTF Honorary
Presidents, ITTF Personal Honorary Members, ITTF Committee Chairs,
ITTF Commissioners, Full Members of ITTF Permanent Committees,
ITTF Athletes Commission Members not competing at the WTTC Finals
Doha 2025, ITTF Integrity Board Members, ITTF Tribunal Chair, and
ITTF Staff in attendance to the WTTC Finals.
Kindly note that each of the Member Associations and individuals listed
above will receive individualised emails with the credentials for online
registration and will have to clearly indicate in the online entry system
if the participation in the AGM will be physical (with presence in Doha)
or remotely (via Zoom ®).
The deadline for registration is 23:59 GMT on Thursday, 27th March
2025. Accommodation and travel details must be entered online by the
same deadline."
10. On 27 March 2025, the ITTF SG circulated the communication which
informed that:
"The ITTF AGM 2025 will be held in Doha, Qatar, in a hybrid format,
starting at 09h00 local time (Arabia Standard Time), on Tuesday, 27th
May 2025 (08h00 CEST – 06h00 UTC).
Please kindly remember that to participate in the AGM, physically
and/or remotely, as well as in the different Summit sessions, the
Member Associations must complete the online registration of the
delegates on the online registration platform https://ittf-summit/com.
The deadline to register for the AGM and Summit has been extended
to Thursday, April 10th, 2025, at 23:59 UTC. If your Association wants
to benefit from the free hospitality and flight ticket contribution for one
delegate, please ensure you fill in all your Delegate’s details on the
platform by the deadline."
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11. On 9 May 2025, the ITTF SG circulated the communication providing for the
link to the working documentation related to the AGM 2025.
Roll Call of the AGM 2025 and Voting
12. The AGM 2025 started on 27 May 2025 at 09:00 am (Arabia Standard Time).
13. The AGM 2025 was broadcasted live on YouTube.
14. The Hearing Panel was provided with the video-recording of the AGM 2025.
15. In accordance with Item 6 of the Agenda AGM 2025, following the welcome
words, opening address and review of 2024, the Roll Call of Associations
was carried out for the confirmation of registered associations (hereinafter,
the "Roll Call").
16. Before starting the Roll Call, the ITTF SG asked for the cooperation of the
attendants of the AGM 2025, and stated as follows:
"You know that this is a year of elections and traditionally in the ITTF
the rule is two delegate per member association in the Room (…)
persons that they know that they are not delegate one or delegate two,
council members, committee chairs, please leave the room, because
especially in the afternoon we have to be very strict with the presence
in the room."
17. At the outset of the Roll Call, the ITTF SG asked to say loudly and raise
hands in order to identify the delegate of the member association in the
room. The reason for this was that a voting card would be distributed and
then the LUMI representatives would explain the duration of the validity of
the card. The voting card would be needed for the whole process of voting.
18. The Roll Call started with Afghanistan, delegates of which were present in
the room. The second called was Albania, however, its delegates although
physically present at the AGM 2025 were not in the room at the time they
were called. The last called member association was Zimbabwe.
19. Following that, the representative of LUMI confirmed that, in the room, there
were present 185 member associations, 16 online, for a total of 201 member
associations. The ITTF SG mentioned that the total number of the member
associations can increase up to 208, if several more members registered
could join the AGM 2025.
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20. After the conclusion of the Roll Call, the ITTF President, Ms Petra Sörling
proceeded to Item 7 of the Agenda AGM 2025, the appointment of the Chair
of the AGM 2025 (hereinafter, the "AGM Chair") .
21. Prior to voting on the Item 7 of the Agenda AGM 2025, the representative
of LUMI explained the voting instructions. The voting was set to be carried
out through the electronic device, namely the voting keypad and the voting
smartcard which were distributed to the delegates present in the room. The
voting card must be kept during all the time of the AGM 2025, including the
breaks. The LUMI representative explained the mode of using the keypad
and the voting smartcard for those present in the room.
22. The LUMI representative further specified for those member associations
who are voting online:
"The vote will automatically appear when opened. Here you will see
the voting question and the voting options. Simply then click on your
desired selection. You will note that a “Vote Received” message
appears to confirm your vote has been cast.
To change your vote, simple click on another selection. You may
change your vote at any time while the voting period is open. Once the
vote has closed, your last selected vote will be submitted.
If you do not select any of the voting options within the prescribed
amount of time, your vote will not be cast and therefore will be
considered as not counted."
23. The member associations were then offered the test vote question in order
to check whether the voting procedure is clear. The results of the test voting
were displayed showing the total possible votes of 202, and votes received
– 194. The LUMI representative explained that there was an additional
person online during the vote.
24. Following the test voting, Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla, the Chair of the ITTF
Nominations Committee, asked the clarification about the total number of
voters being 202, whereas initially 201 was mentioned. The ITTF SG
explained that probably one person who was not accounted in the moment
of the count, joined the AGM 2025, physically or virtually, because there
were approximately 208 registered members.
25. The first vote question concerned Item 7 of the Agenda AGM 2025 and the
appointment of Mr Graham Symons, ITTF Executive Vice-President as the
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AGM Chair. Total possible votes on this question was 202, votes received –
194.
26. During the following questions brought for voting the total possible votes
number was constantly raising from 202 to 205.
Election of ITTF President
27. Item 24 of the Agenda AGM 2025 provided for the election of ITTF President.
Of the original three candidates for the position of the ITTF President, only
two participated in the election, namely Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi and Ms Petra
Sörling.
28. The AGM Chair informed the delegates in the room that at the request of
the candidates, the voting was set to be carried out through the paper
ballots, not the electronic voting. Further clarification of the voting
procedure was made by the ITTF SG:
"The first thing we would like to request you please is not to move from
your seats from the beginning of the voting until the end of the last
delegate has going to vote. We will start a roll call where we will ask
you one by one start in alphabetical order to come from your seat from
your seats with your voting card. The voting card that you have had
during the day, you will drop in a box that will be available there. Then
our director of operations will deliver to you a paper ballot for the
election for president.
As you have seen today, Mr El Hacen has withdrawn. This means that
Mr El Hacen is not part of the election. You have to decide to vote
between Mr Al Mohannadi, and Mrs Sörling. You need to cross the box
next to the candidate that you prefer to be elected. And then you have
to fold only once. Fold only once the paper and put in a second box, a
second crystal box that will be in another table. When this process has
been complete, we ask you please to kindly go back to your seat to
ensure that the room stays as calm and as organized as possible.
So once again the process will be as follows. We will start a roll call
alphabetically. We will call the first delegate going to the table that is
more in your right. In this table there will be a box where you will drop
the card that was used during the morning. Then our director of
operations in the second table will give you a paper ballot. And in this
paper ballot going to the third table against the wall, you will put your
mark and go back to the third table to drop your ballot.
Very important. No person is allowed to walk to the three tables with
any digital devices. All your telephones, all your cameras, all your
digital devices must stay in your chair. You can only walk with the card
that was provided by LUMI this morning. From the 10 scrutineers that
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you have selected today, there will be two scrutineers sit one in each
side of the table. So by being sit they cannot see what are you writing,
but they can see that you are not making photos or taking any proof
of your vote to ensure the confidentiality, the anonymity and also the
peace of mind for everyone. And then once again when you are finished
you fold once. You fold only once and then you drop your vote in the
second crystal ballot.
Is the process clear for everyone?"
29. Several questions followed then and one of such questions concerned the
online voters. To one of such questions, the ITTF SG clarified:
"The delegates online vote will start with the first association opening,
Afghanistan, and will close with the last association vote, Zimbabwe."
30. Prior to open the voting, the ITTF SG stated as follows:
"So for the online voters, the procedures for the vote in the room is
being finalized. There has been a request for paper ballots for the
participants in the room. That’s why the process has not been starting
yet. It will start in a few minutes, hopefully soon. The vote will be open
from the moment that we call Afghanistan until the moment that we
call Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe has completed its vote and anyway will
be announced the vote is open and the vote is closed as in all the other
propositions."
31. The ITTF SG with the help of the assistant in the room simulated the process
of the voting, demonstrating to the attendees the technical details of the
voting procedure.
32. Then the ITTF SG announced that the vote for the Presidential Election 2025-
2029 is open (hereinafter, the "Presidential Election").
33. The first association called was Afghanistan (physically present in the room),
and then the ITTF SG proceeded calling the delegates of the member
associations in alphabetical order similarly to as it had been done during the
Roll Call; for the online voters the ITTF SG made mentioned that the called
member association is voting online. The last member association called for
the voting was Zimbabwe.
34. After the calculation of the votes, the result was announced that Ms Petra
Sörling won the Presidential Election with total 104 votes in her favour, and
Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi got in total 102 votes in his favour. The total number
of voters was 206 (hereinafter, the "Appealed Decision").
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35. Following the announcement of the results AGM Chair proceeded to the next
item on the Agenda AGM 2025, i.e. the election of the ITTF Executive VicePresidents.
36. However, at that moment several delegates of the member associations
present in the room started to express their dissatisfaction with the outcome
of the Presidential Election and the winning of Ms Petra Sörling.
37. Particularly, the protesters drew the attention to the unclarity about the
actual number of voters and especially those voters who participated in the
Presidential Election remotely via the online platform.
38. The situation escalated to the extent that the AGM 2025 was eventually
interrupted and no further items on the Agenda AGM 2025 were considered.
39. The AGM Chair decided to suspend the AGM 2025 and postpone the
resolutions and voting on the rest items of Agenda AGM 2025 until further
notice.
III. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE ITTF TRIBUNAL
a) Written stage of the proceedings
40. On 17 June 2025, the First Appellant filed via email the ‘Request for
Commencing the Proceedings (of an Appeal)’ (hereinafter, the "First
Appellant’s Request").
41. On 17 June 2025, the Second Appellant filed via email the ‘Request for
Commencing the Proceedings (of an Appeal)’ (hereinafter, the "Second
Appellant’s Request"; together with the First Appellant’s Request referred
to as the "Appeals").
42. In their Appeals the Appellants submitted the same Prayers for Relief:
On a provisional basis
1. To order the Nomination Committee not to destroy voting material
within the meaning of Article 10.21.1 of the ITTF Constitution.
2. Order the ITTF to take all measures to preserve all evidence relating
to the AGM of 27.05.2025, in particular as regards the ITTF Presidential
election.
On the merits of the case
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3. To annul the decision of the ITTF AGM of 27.05.2025 on agenda
item 24 (Presidential Election) to recognize that Ms Petra Sörling won
the Presidential Election by 104 votes to Mr Khalil Al-Mohannadi's 102
votes and, consequently:
3.1. To declare that Mr Khalil Al-Mohannadi has won the presidential
election by 98 votes to Ms Petra Sörling's 87, and to declare that he
has been elected President of the ITTF.
3.2. In the alternative, order the ITTF to convene a general meeting
and to repeat the vote on the election of the ITTF President in
accordance with the instructions of your Tribunal.
4. Order the ITTF to pay the costs of the case.
5. Order the ITTF to pay fair costs to the Appellant.
43. On 18 June 2025, the ITTF Tribunal Chair acknowledged receipt of the
Appeals, the two procedures under reference numbers 2025-02 and 2025-
03 were opened.
44. The ITTF Tribunal Chair granted the Respondents a time limit until 9 July
2025 for filing the answers by email with the ITTF Tribunal.
45. On 4 July 2025, the counsel for the Respondents requested a ten-day
extension of the time limit in both proceedings, namely until 21 July 2025;
the ITTF Tribunal Chair granted the Respondents the requested extension ,
until 21 July 2025.
46. On 21 July 2025, the Respondents filed their consolidated answer in both
proceedings (hereinafter, the "Answer").
47. The Respondents submitted the following Requests for Relief in the Answer:
i. The appeals filed by Mr Al-Mohannadi and the Qatar Table Tennis
Association and all of their prayers for relief are dismissed.
ii. The decision of the ITTF Annual General Assembly of 27 May 2025
to elect Ms Petra Sörling as the ITTF President is confirmed.
iii. Mr Al-Mohannadi and the Qatar Table Tennis Association shall bear
all the costs incurred with the present proceedings and pay a
contribution towards the legal costs incurred by the ITTF and Ms
Petra Sörling in connection with these proceedings.
48. On 22 July 2025, the ITTF Tribunal Chair informed the Parties that pursuant
to article 8.24.7 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations, the Parties are not
authorised to file any unsolicited submissions.
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b) Composition of the Hearing Panel
49. On 23 July 2025, the ITTF Tribunal Chair informed the Parties that pursuant
to article 8.25 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations 2025, the ITTF Hearing Panel
will comprise of Ms Anna Smirnova from Russia, Ms Morenike Obi-Farinde
from Nigeria and Mr Jorge Ibarrola, Chair, from Switzerland.
50. On 28 July 2025, the Second Appellant filed the "Formal Objection to the
Appointment of Mr Jorge Ibarrola – Pursuant to Article 8.26 of the ITTF
Tribunal Regulations". Thereunder, the Second Appellant objected
"to Mr Ibarrola's appointment on the grounds of a clear conflict of
interest. He has previously represented the ITTF in several legal
matters and received financial compensation for legal services
provided to the Federation during the presidency of Ms Sörling, who
is also a respondent in this matter. This prior professional
relationship with both the Federation and Ms Sörling compromises
the independence and impartiality required of a panel chair in the
current proceedings."
51. On 29 July 2025, having rejected any accusations of the Second Appellant
regarding the alleged lack of independence and/or impartiality, the ITTF
Tribunal Chair informed the Parties of his decision to withdraw from the
hearing panel in order to ensure that all Parties be comfortable with its
composition.
52. On 29 July 2025, the ITTF Tribunal Chair informed the Parties that the
Hearing Panel would comprise of Ms Morenike Obi-Farinde from Nigeria,
Mr Olivier Ducrey from Switzerland and Ms Anna Smirnova, Chair, from
Russia.
53. No further challenges were made by either of the Parties in respect of the
composition of the Hearing Panel.
c) Preliminary Hearing
54. On 11 August 2025, based on the availability provided by the Parties, the
Hearing Panel issued the directions to the Parties whereunder (i) confirmed
that the Oral Hearing would take place on 28 August 2025 at 10:00 CEST
via video-conference, (ii) requested the Parties to provide for their position
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on whether the preliminary organizational meeting would be needed for the
discussion of the Oral Hearing details, and (iii) to provide for the list of
attendees to the Oral Hearing and make proposal as regards the tentative
schedule for the Oral Hearing.
55. Following the consultation with the Parties, on 21 August 2025, the Hearing
Panel held the Preliminary Hearing whereby the Parties expressed their
views as regards (i) the procedural status of Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla, his direct
and cross-examination, (ii) the tentative timetable for the Oral Hearing, and
(iii) the Parties were given the opportunity to submit any other procedural
requests.
56. During the Preliminary Hearing the counsel for the Appellants inter alia
confirmed their intention to have Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla be heard as witness
on the side of the Appellants; on the other side, the counsel for the
Respondents maintained their position stated in par. 113-116 of their
Answer filed on 21 July 2025 and reiterated that in the Respondents’ view
the testimony of Mr Al Mulla was not needed.
57. Having considered the argumentation of the Parties the Hearing Panel
decided to admit the testimony of Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla, and the Appellants
were allowed to call him as their witness at the Oral Hearing.
d) Oral Hearing
58. On 28 August 2025, the Oral Hearing was organized via a recorded zoomconference (hereinafter, the "Oral Hearing"). The Oral Hearing was
attended by the following persons:
On behalf of the Appellants:
• Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi, the First Appellant
• Dr Mohammed Abdulla Al Saleh, Secretary General of QTTA
• Mr Alexander Zen-Ruffinen, the Appellants’ counsel
• Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla (witness)
On behalf of the Respondents:
• Ms Petra Sörling, the Second Respondent
• Mr Antonio Rigozzi, the Respondents’ counsel
• Mr Patrick Pithon, the Respondents’ counsel
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Hearing Panel:
• Ms Morenike Obi-Farinde, Member of the Hearing Panel
• Mr Olivier Ducrey, Member of the Hearing Panel
• Ms Anna Smirnova, Hearing Panel Chair.
59. After examination and cross-examination of the witness, Mr Abdulla AlMulla, the Parties made their closing statements and a turn of rebuttal was
granted to them as well.
60. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Parties confirmed that they had no
objections with regard to the proceedings and respect of their procedural
rights.
IV.SUMMARY OF THE PARTIES’ SUBMISSIONS
61. In substance, the Appellants’ position can be summarized as follows:
• As a principal point of their argumentation, the Appellants drew the
attention of the Hearing Panel to the alleged failure of the First
Respondent to carry out the presidential election in a fair, regular and
correct way.
• According to the Appellants, in violation of article 10.22.2 of the ITTF
Electoral and Appointment Regulations and its decision taken at the
start of the vote to authorise only physical vote, by paper ballot, the
First Respondent nevertheless accounted the electronic votes of those
member associations who participated in the AGM 2025 remotely.
• According to the Appellants’ position, the "electoral body" was
constituted in an irregular way, in violation of the ITTF Statutes,
accordingly the AGM was not properly representing the will of the
member associations.
• The Appellants inter alia alleged that the First Respondent in violation
of the ITTF Statutes allowed to participate in the Presidential Election
the member associations who failed to register themselves to the AGM
2025 in a timely manner; in particular, the Appellants pointed out that
allegedly the Greenland Table Tennis Association was accepted to
voting at the Presidential Election only after the voting procedure had
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commenced, and the delegate of Table Tennis Jersey allegedly was not
entitled to be a delegate representing this association.
• Pursuant to the argumentation of the Appellants, the voting procedure
at the Presidential Election was not clear and lacked transparency
particularly in terms of the electronic voting by the member
associations participating in the AGM 2025 remotely.
• According to the Appellants, it was the general understanding of the
attendants of the AGM 2025, that the Presidential Election would be
based only on the paper voting by the member associations physically
present in the room.
• The Appellants further pointed out that the recommendations of
Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla, the Chair of the ITTF Nominations Committee,
given in relation to the alleged infringements of the Presidential Election
were not taken into account.
• The Appellants submitted that the Presidential Election at the AGM 2025
was carried out in violation of the general democratic principles, and in
this respect referred to international legal standards, Swiss law and
jurisprudence of the Swiss Federal Tribunal.
62. In substance, the Respondents’ position can be summarized as follows:
• The Respondents’ main argument was that the AGM 2025 was validly
held in the hybrid format, allowing all the member associations to duly
and properly participate in decision-making processes, voting and
elections.
• The Respondents submitted that in the course of the AGM 2025 and,
particularly, during the Presidential Election there were no violations
either of the ITTF Statutes and/or of Swiss law and/or any other
applicable regulations.
• The Respondents further stated that even if certain discrepancy
occurred in the course of the AGM 2025 and the Presidential Election -
which was firmly denied by the Respondents - none of such alleged
discrepancy was significant enough to have had any impact on the
outcome of the AGM 2025 and the Presidential Election.
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• According to the Respondents, the convocation and registration of the
member associations for the participation in the AGM 2025 was made
correctly and in full compliance with the applicable provisions of the
ITTF Statutes; according to the Respondents, the deadlines for
registration in the AGM 2025 specified in the letters of the ITTF SG are
of organizational nature, and cannot preclude a member association
from attending the AGM either in person or virtually.
• According to the Respondents, the Presidential Election properly
accounted the votes of all attending member associations, both of those
present physically at AGM 2025 in Doha as well as of those who
attended the AGM 2025 remotely.
• The Respondents’ position is that the Appellants are anyway barred
from making any complaints against the alleged procedural flaws at the
AGM 2025 as in accordance with applicable Swiss law such objections
shall be raised immediately.
V. JURISDICTION OF THE ITTF TRIBUNAL
63. In accordance with article 8.15.1 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations, and
subject to articles 8.15.2 and 8.15.3 thereof, the ITTF Tribunal shall have
jurisdiction to hear and decide any alleged infringement of any article under
the ITTF Constitution or any other rule or regulation of the ITTF Statutes or
any Related Document except:
• any provision under Chapter 5 of the ITTF Statutes (ITTF Anti-Doping
Rules), and
• any provision of the Classification Rules of ITTF Para Table Tennis.
64. In accordance with article 8.15.2 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations, the ITTF
Tribunal has the original jurisdiction to hear and decide any alleged
infringement of any provision or such other claims arising from any provision
under Chapters 1, 2, 6 and 7 of the ITTF Statutes and any Related
Document.
65. In accordance with article 8.15.3 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations, the ITTF
Tribunal has appellate jurisdiction to hear and decide any appeal of any
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decision made by the appropriate decision-making body on alleged
infringements of any provision or such other claims arising from any
provisions under Chapters 1, 3, 4, 9, and 10 of the ITTF Statutes and any
Related Document.
66. The Respondents explicitly stated in their Answer that they do not dispute
that the ITTF Tribunal has jurisdiction in the present matter.
67. Therefore, the Hearing Panel considers that the ITTF Tribunal can rule on
the dispute between the Appellants and the Respondents.
VI. ADMISSIBILITY OF THE APPEAL
68. Article 8.15.4 of the ITTF Tribunal Regulations reads as follows
8.15.4. Where the ITTF Tribunal exercises its appellate jurisdiction
pursuant to R8.15.3:
8.15.4.1 the provision of these ITTF Tribunal Regulations will apply in
appeal proceedings before the ITTF Tribunal mutatis mutandis, unless
they are inconsistent with or preempted by the provisions of R8.15;
8.15.4.2 unless otherwise specified in any provision of the ITTF
Handbook, the Request for Proceedings of the appeal must be filed with
the ITTF Tribunal no later than 21 days after the date that the appealing
party receives the decision in question. This 21-day deadline to appeal
may not be extended. The decision being appealed will remain in full force
and effect pending determination of the appeal, unless the Hearing Panel
(or the ITTF Tribunal Chair, if the Hearing Panel has yet to be formed)
orders otherwise; and
8.15.4.3 the Hearing Panel has full power to hear the matter under appeal
de novo and it will have all of the powers that the actual first instance
decision-maker would have had under the applicable provision in the ITTF
Handbook. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Hearing Panel may remit
the matter to the first instance decision-maker for re-hearing, if it deems
appropriate.
69. The Appealed Decision, namely the decision of the ITTF Annual General
Assembly to elect Ms Petra Sörling as the ITTF President was taken on
27 May 2025.
70. The Appellants filed their requests against the Appealed Decision on 17 June
2025, i.e. within the statutory time limit of 21 days.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 16/28
71. The Respondents have explicitly stated in their Answer that they do not
dispute that the Appellants’ appeals have been filed within the applicable
time limits are thus admissible.
72. Therefore, the Hearing Panel confirms the admissibility of the Appeals.
VII. APPLICABLE LAW
73. In accordance with article 8.16 of the ITTF Statutes, the decisions shall be
based on:
8.16.1.1. primarily, on the ITTF Constitution, the Laws of Table Tennis,
the other chapters of the ITTF Statutes, and the decisions of any
competent ITTF body; and
8.16.1.2. subsidiarily, on Swiss law and such other law that the Hearing
Panel deems applicable. In the latter case, the Hearing Panel shall give
reasons for its decision.
74. The Hearing Panel will apply the rules contained in the ITTF Statutes and,
subsidiarily, Swiss law shall be applicable.
VIII. BURDEN and STANDARD OF PROOF
75. Before commencing the analysis of the merits of the case, the Hearing Panel
notes that pursuant to article 8.32.1 of the ITTF Statutes, unless otherwise
stated therein, the claimant has the burden of proving that the respondent
committed the infringement(s) alleged in the claim.
76. As to the standard of proof, in accordance with article 8.33.1 of the ITTF
Statutes, unless otherwise stated therein, the standard of proof on all
questions to be determined by the Hearing Panel is to the comfortable
satisfaction of the Hearing Panel. This standard of proof is higher than a
mere balance of probability but lower than proving beyond a reasonable
doubt. In particular, CAS jurisprudence clearly established that to reach this
comfortable satisfaction, the Hearing Panel should have in mind
"the seriousness of the allegation which is made" (CAS 2014/A/3625,
CAS 2005/A/908, CAS 2009/A/1902, CAS 2016/A/4558).
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 17/28
IX. ON THE MERITS
a) Introduction
77. The Hearing Panel has thoroughly analysed the divergencies in the positions
of the Appellants and the Respondents in relation to the convocation and
organization of the AGM 2025, having drawn particular attention to the
procedures followed in the course of the Presidential Election.
78. In furtherance of the resolution of this dispute, the Hearing Panel deems
necessary to recollect the considerations concerning the AGM 2025
chronologically, from convocation to the Presidential Election, and
accordingly to address the following questions:
• Was the AGM 2025 convoked, organized and carried out in compliance
with the ITTF Statutes and Swiss law?
• Could the member associations of the ITTF join the voting procedures
and, in particular, the Presidential Election after the Roll Call?
• Was the Presidential Election at the AGM 2025 carried out in conformity
with the applicable laws and regulations?
• Was there any discrepancy at the organization and arrangement of the
AGM 2025 and the Presidential Election serious enough to serve as
grounds for the annulment of the results?
b) Was the AGM 2025 convoked, organized and carried out in
compliance with the ITTF Statutes and Swiss law?
79. As a starting point the Hearing Panel turned its attention to the convocation
of the AGM 2025 and registration of the member associations intending to
participate.
80. At par. 86 point 3 of the First Appellant’s Appeal, it is submitted that ITTF
had failed to convene correctly the member associations for the AGM 2025,
namely, that the registration of the participants was made inappropriately:
A deadline of 11.59pm on 27 March 2025 was set for those entitled to
attend the AGM to register. This deadline was extended once, to
10 April 2025. The attention of the recipients of the letter was drawn
to the importance of this deadline by highlighting it in bold red type.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 18/28
However, it would appear that several member associations registered
at the last minute to vote electronically.1
81. The Respondents inter alia submitted that
"nothing in the Statutes or in any ITTF regulation imposes a strict
registration deadline as a condition for participation in AGM. The 10
April date mentioned in the Secretary General’s letter of 27 February
2025 (and extended by letter of 27 March 2025) was merely an
organisational deadline, intended to facilitate logistics for those
attending the AGM in person."
82. According to the Respondents, the deadline for the registration to AGM is
only the "organisational deadline" which "does not preclude a member
association from attending the AGM, whether in person (without benefiting
from the free travel and accommodation) or virtually".
83. On this account, the Hearing Panel primarily referred to the pertinent
provisions of the Swiss Civil Code (SCC), applicable to the legal status and
governance of the ITTF.
84. In particular, the Hearing Panel took into consideration Art. 63 par. 3 SCC,
whereby it is set out that a general meeting must be convened in accordance
with the rules set out in the articles of association.
85. In accordance with Art. 67 par. 1 SCC, all members of an association have
equal voting rights at the general meeting.
86. Bearing this in mind, the Hearing Panel referred to the following pertinent
provisions of the ITTF Constitution:
1.37.1. The AGM is the supreme governing body of the ITTF and consists
of the assembled representatives of the Associations.
1.38.1. The AGM has the powers set out in the Statutes, in particular to:
1.38.1.2. elect, suspend, or remove the President and the Executive VicePresidents (including the Deputy President);
1.39.1. Each Association may appoint 2 Delegates to represent it at the
AGM.
1.39.2. Each Delegate shall either be a citizen of their appointing
Association, as evidenced by their passport, or shall have their main
residence in the Territory controlled by their appointing Association for no
less than 12 months before the relevant AGM. Delegates belonging to the
1 See par. 86 point 3, First Appellant’s Appeal.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 19/28
same state unity, with the same kind of national passport, must have
their main residence for at least 12 months before the relevant AGM in
the Territory controlled by their appointing Association.
1.40.1. The Delegates may attend the AGM with the right to speak and
vote.
1.48.1. Each Association present not in arrears shall have 1 vote.
87. The ITTF Constitution does not provide for any restrictions on the attendance
and/or participation of the member associations in the general meetings,
and does not restrict anyhow the time-limits for the registration to the
general meetings. Therefore, the Hearing Panel concludes that, in
accordance with Swiss Civil Code the primary objective of the ITTF shall be
to ensure the proper participation in the general meetings and exercise of
their voting rights for all the member associations.
88. In order to assess the meaning and legitimate purposes of the registration
to the general meeting, the Hearing Panel then reverted to the
communications of the ITTF SG concerning the convocation and organization
of the AGM 2025.
89. On 27 February 2025, the ITTF SG informed the member associations that
they will receive "individualised emails with the credentials for online
registration and will have to clearly indicate in the online entry system if the
participation in the AGM will be physical (with presence in Doha) or remotely
(via Zoom)."
90. On 27 March 2025, the ITTF SG reminded the member associations that "to
participate in the AGM, physically and/or remotely, as well as in the different
Summit sessions the Member Associations must complete the online
registration for the delegates on the official registration platform."
91. The Hearing Panel further noted the argument of the Appellants, that in
accordance with article 1.45.1 of the ITTF Constitution, notwithstanding any
deadline set out regarding the AGM, the Executive Board may vary from
such deadline under urgent or exceptional circumstances.
92. The Hearing Panel inferred that the primary objective at the convocation of
the general meetings is to ensure that the rights of the member associations
are properly respected. The purpose of the registration of the attendees to
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 20/28
the general meeting is rather organizational than restrictive, and it is aimed
to ensure the compliance with the ITTF Constitution as regards the
entitlement to represent a member association. Thus, among other
obligations of the ITTF is to determine whether the particular member
association intends to attend the general meeting physically or remotely,
and accordingly to verify whether the relevant delegate conforms to the
statutory requirements for the representation of the member associations.
93. In this regard, the Hearing Panel agrees with the argumentation of the
Respondents that the deadlines established in the communications of the
ITTF SG for the registration to the AGM are of organizational nature, and
not restrictive. Unlike the deadlines established in the ITTF Constitution, Part
III, Division 1: General Meetings, the organizational time limits can be
flexible. Therefore, the Hearing Panel does not share the opinion of the
Appellants that any and all of the time limits related to the AGM can be
amended only by the Executive Board. This could be considered as excessive
formalism impeding the smooth functioning of the ITTF.
94. Further, the Hearing Panel considered the arguments of the Appellants
regarding the allegedly incorrect composition of the "electoral body", and in
particular, the participation of the Jersey and Greenland Table Tennis
Associations.
95. In respect of the Jersey Table Tennis Association, the Appellants expressed
their concern as regards the documentation provided by the representative
of the said member association in confirmation of their compliance with the
requirements set out in article 1.39 of the ITTF Constitution, namely the
requirement of the residence on the relevant territory.
96. On this account, the Hearing Panel has noted that the Respondents produced
on the record the exchange of the email correspondence with the
representatives of the Jersey Table Tennis Association.
97. Indeed, the representative of Jersey Table Tennis Association has Greek
nationality, however, in addition to the Greek passport, they provided for
the ‘Indefinite Leave to Remain’ issued by the Head of Service for Jersey
Customs and Immigration.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 21/28
98. The Hearing Panel took note of the Appellants objections that the mentioned
document was issued on 10 March 2021, and over four years elapsed since
then. However, the Hearing Panel also took into account that it is a regular
practise in many countries, especially within the European Union (even
though Jersey is obviously not a member of the EU), that the permanent
residence permit notwithstanding being indefinite in duration shall be
technically updated every five years.
99. The Hearing Panel is comfortably satisfied that the documentation provided
by the Respondents in confirmation of the rights of the delegate from the
Jersey Table Tennis Association is sufficient for the regular participation of
this member association in the general meeting.
100. As regards the participation of the Greenland Table Tennis Association,
having considered the documentation submitted by the Respondents on the
record, the Hearing Panel took into consideration that Greenland Table
Tennis Association was timely registered to the AGM 2025, participated
online, and this was pointed out by the ITTF SG at the Roll Call.
Consequently, even if Greenland Table Tennis Association actively
participated only in the Presidential Election, no breach of the ITTF Statutes
occurred, as the said member association was duly provided with the
opportunity to express its will at the general meeting.
101. Consequently, the Hearing Panel is comfortably satisfied that the AGM 2025
was properly convened by the First Respondent. The Hearing Panel finds
that, to ensure the right of the member associations to participate in the
general meeting is of utmost priority for an association established in
accordance with Swiss law. Therefore, the registration of certain member
associations outside the time limits established in the communication of the
ITTF SG, although it may give rise to certain inconveniencies, does not in
general have any severe impact on the outcome of the AGM 2025.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 22/28
c) Could the member associations of the ITTF join the voting
procedures and, in particular, the Presidential Election after the
Roll Call?
102. The Hearing Panel further turned its attention to the allegation of the
Appellants that after the Roll Call, no member associations could be
admitted to voting. The same statement was repeated by Mr Al Mulla, the
Chair of the ITTF Nominations Committee, after the announcement of the
results of the Presidential Election and reiterated in his witness testimony.
103. In this respect, the Hearing Panel first turned their attention to the pertinent
provisions of the ITTF Constitution relating to the roll call, namely:
1.46. AGENDA
1.46.1 The agenda for an AGM shall include:
1.46.1.2 a roll call of the Associations present.
1.48.4 Voting other than in elections shall be by a show of hands,
electronic or online means, roll call, or secret ballot, as decided by the
AGM on a proposition by the AGM Chair.
104. With the foregoing in mind, the Hearing Panel turned attention to the Roll
Call procedure carried out at the outset of the AGM 2025. Based on the video
recording of the AGM 2025 provided by the Parties, the Hearing Panel
observed that the following announcement of the Roll Call, which was
mentioned under Item 6 of the Agenda AGM 2025, the ITTF SG called 207
registered member associations in alphabetic order and with specification
whether the called member association was participating in presence or
online. After the Roll Call, the representative of LUMI confirmed that 185
delegated of the member associations were present in the room and 16
more member associations were participating to the AGM 2025 online.
Following that, the ITTF SG informed the attendants of the AGM 2025 that
during the day the total number of the attendees may increase up to 208.
105. The Hearing Panel’s interim conclusion is that the legal meaning of the Roll
Call, even though it is not expressly stated so in the ITTF Constitution, is to
establish whether there is a quorum required for the general meeting to
proceed. In the case at hand, the quorum was in place.
106. The Hearing Panel further noted that no objections or comments were
expressed by any of the attending delegate of the member associations in
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 23/28
the AGM 2025 against the possible increase of the total number of the
participating member associations.
107. Furthermore, the Hearing Panel noted that throughout the voting process
up to Item 24 of the Agenda AGM 2025, the Election of the ITTF President,
the number of voters increased from 202 up to 206.
108. Having considered the underlying provisions of the ITTF Constitution and
the actual procedures followed during the voting and Presidential Election of
the AGM 2025, the Hearing Panel concluded that, although it might be
regretful that the maximum number of the possible voters was not once
again specifically mentioned right before the Presidential Election, this had
been done by the ITTF SG at the earlier stage right after the Roll Call, and
therefore, all the attendants of the AGM 2025 were made aware that a
maximum of 208 member associations may take part in the voting and the
Presidential Election.
109. Hence, the Hearing Panel does not find any issue in the fact that throughout
the AGM 2025 the actual number of the member associations participating
in the voting and the Presidential Election varied within the maximum limit
announced by the ITTF SG after the Roll Call.
d) Was the Presidential Election at the AGM 2025 carried out in
conformity with the applicable laws and regulations?
110. The Appellants submitted that the voting procedure at the Presidential
Election of AGM 2025 was not in conformity with the ITTF Statutes, that the
ITTF failed to consider recommendations of Mr Al-Mulla and the overall
Presidential Election was made in breach of the basic democratic principles.
According to the Appellants argumentation, although in general the hybrid
format of the AGM 2025 was not contested, the Presidential Election,
however, should have been organized only based on the paper ballots cast
by the delegates physically present in Doha on 27 May 2025, whereas the
votes of those delegates who participated remotely should not have been
taken into account.
111. These submissions were fully rejected by the Respondents.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 24/28
112. Having thoroughly analysed the Parties’ positions, the Hearing Panel refers
primarily to the applicable provisions of the ITTF Statutes, namely:
10.4 SUPERVISING BODY
10.4.1 The Nominations Committee shall be the responsible body to
oversee and supervise each part of the Election Process and Appointment
Process in accordance with these Regulations and the Statutes.
10.4.2 The Nominations Committee shall operate and carry out its duties,
responsibilities, and obligations in accordance with these Regulations, its
terms of reference, and the Statutes and shall have and exercise all
powers and authority necessary to carry out its duties, responsibilities,
and obligations as set out in these Regulations.
10.4.3 The Nominations Committee shall be responsible for Vetting a
Candidate to be Appointed or Elected to a Key Position.
10.4.4 The Nominations Committee may issue directives, guidelines, or
such other documents to govern the Election Process and the
Appointment Process.
10.4.5 Subject to Article 10.26, decisions made by the Nominations
Committee will be final and binding.
10.22 VOTING PROCEDURE
10.22.1 Member Association (or its representative) that is entitled to vote
in the Election shall cast their vote in the manner set out in Article 1.48
of the Statutes and as follows.
10.22.2 Votes to elect Candiates to each Key Position shall be cast by
secret ballot and may be done in person or electronically, in the manner
prescribed or directed by the AGM Chair.
10.22.3 The voting procedure shall be overseen by scrutineers approved
according to Article 1.48.5 of the Statutes.
10.25 SUSPECTED BREACH
10.25.1.2 Any suspected breach of any other Part of these Regulations
must be reported within 30 days following discovery of the circumstances.
113. The Hearing Panel has noted that the Nominations Committee did not issue
any specific directives, guidelines, or such other documents to govern the
election process at the Presidential Election of the AGM 2025. Therefore, the
Presidential Election was governed regularly in accordance with the ITTF
Statutes and subsidiarily, in accordance with Swiss law.
114. Accordingly, the votes to elect the ITTF President were cast by secret ballot
and were done on the paper ballots by the delegates present at the AGM
2025 in person and electronically by those delegates of the member
associations who attended the AGM 2025 remotely.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 25/28
115. The Hearing Panel has noted that before the announcement of the
Presidential Election, the ITTF SG explained in detail the voting procedures
for those delegates who were physically present at the AGM 2025 and
afterwards explained the voting procedure for the online voters.
116. As follows from the videorecording of the AGM 2025, no protest was
expressed by any of the delegates in relation to the participation of the
online voters in the Presidential Election.
117. On this account, the Hearing Panel cannot share the Appellants’ view that it
was the common understanding of the attendees to the AGM 2025 that the
Presidential Election would be accounted solely based on the votes of those
present physically in Doha.
118. The Hearing Panel further recalled that in principle no objection or doubt
was expressed by any member association in relation to the arrangement of
AGM 2025 in the hybrid format. In this regard, it is worth referring to Art. 75
SCC, which regulates the right of an association's member to dispute a
decision adopted by the association. To do so, the member must not have
adhered to the decision. In other words, in order to be entitled to challenge
a decision adopted at the association's general assembly, a member who
attended the assembly must have opposed the decision or at least not
adhered to it; otherwise, the member may be deprived of their standing to
challenge the decision.
119. In this case, the Appellants have neither proven nor alleged that they would
have refused, whether before the AGM or during it, to vote in the election
of the ITTF President because the voting process was biased or illegal.
120. In other words, the Hearing Panel infers that ITTF has correctly ensured that
all of its member associations have equal access to the voting in compliance
with the requirements set out under the Swiss Civil Code and the ITTF
Statutes.
121. Therefore, the Hearing Panel cannot agree with the interpretation proposed
by the Appellants that allegedly the delegates participating in the AGM 2025
remotely should be deprived of exercising their right to vote.
122. The Hearing Panel further noted that no concern or objection was expressed
by any of the scrutineers supervising the Presidential Election, nor any
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 26/28
eventual written complaint and/or suspicion followed by any other member
association save for the QTTA.
123. Finally, the Hearing Panel turns its attention to the recommendations of
Mr Abdulla Al-Mulla made after the announcement of the results of the
Presidential Election. Inter alia, Mr Al-Mulla expressed his concern about the
addition of the voters after the Roll Call, failure of the ITTF SG to announce
the change in the number of voting associations, and accordingly requested
the disclosure of the relevant elements by LUMI, verification of the
chronology of the connections, requesting that only the votes of those
physically present in the room shall be considered. Mr Al-Mulla suggested
that the voting for the Presidential Election would be repeated. During the
Oral Hearing Mr Al-Mulla largely repeated the same reproaches towards the
organizers of the Presidential Election at the AGM 2025.
124. Although having thoroughly considered the testimony of Mr Al-Mulla as well
as his statements made on the video-recording of the AGM 2025, the
Hearing Panel cannot agree that any of the mentioned alleged flaws in
organization of the Presidential Election should result in the annulment of
the results and repetition of the voting.
125. As already deduced by the Hearing Panel above, in accordance with Swiss
Civil Code and the ITTF Constitution, absolute priority at the voting
procedures shall be given to ensuring that each member association was
granted the possibility to exercise its voting rights. Any member association
registered to the general meeting has right to decide whether it intends to
participate in such general meeting in full or in part, whether it intends to
express its will on all items of the agenda or only part of them. Therefore,
the Hearing Panel sees no issue in the fact that the number of the voters
varied during the AGM 2025 within the maximum limit, neither does it see
any legal issue in the fact that the Presidential Election took into account all
the votes, physical (cast in presence) and electronical (cast remotely).
e) Was there any discrepancy at the organization and arrangement
of the AGM 2025 and the Presidential Election serious enough to
serve as grounds for the annulment of the results?
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 27/28
126. The Hearing Panel has noted the considerations of the Appellants and
allegations that the discrepancies in the convocation of the AGM 2025,
formation of the "electoral body" and voting procedures were lacking the
necessary transparency, predictability and legal compliance.
127. Although the Hearing Panel may admit that, at any general meeting
embracing the participation of hundreds of attendees both in person and
remotely, there always is room for improvement. Having assessed the
overall arrangements of the AGM 2025 and its outcome, the Hearing Panel
remains of the opinion that none of the points referred to by the Appellants
could constitute the grounds for the annulment of the Presidential Election.
X. COSTS
128. Pursuant to R8.36 of the ITTF Statutes:
8.36 Costs
8.36.1 The Hearing Panel may, at its sole discretion, order any party to
the proceedings to pay some or all of the costs of the proceedings,
including any one or more of the following:
8.36.1.1 the costs of holding the hearing; and
8.36.1.2 the legal fees, the accommodation costs, travel costs or such
other expenses incurred as a result of the proceedings for
8.36.1.2.1 the Hearing Panel members, as approved by the ITTF
Executive Board;
8.36.1.2.2 any party to the proceedings;
8.36.1.2.3 any witness; and
8.36.1.2.4 any independent expert.
8.36.2 Without limiting the Hearing Panel’s discretion as stated in
R8.36.1, the Hearing Panel may award costs against a party for advancing
any claim that is frivolous, vexatious, or entirely without merit.
129. In the present circumstances, the Hearing Panel considers that the costs of
the proceedings be borne by the Appellants in the following proportion: 50%
by the First Appellant, and 50% by the Second Appellant.
130. Each Party shall bear his/its legal costs incurred in connection with this
procedure.
131. The final amount of the costs of the proceedings will be communicated to
the Parties per separate communication from the ITTF administration.
ITTFT 2025-02 & 2025-03
Khalil Al Mohannadi & Qatar Table Tennis Federation v. ITTF & Petra Sörling
page 28/28
XI. ON THESE GROUNDS
The International Table Tennis Tribunal rules that:
1. The Appeal filed by the First Appellant, Mr Khalil Al Mohannadi, is
dismissed.
2. The Appeal filed by the Second Appellant, Qatar Table Tennis Association,
is dismissed.
3. The Decision of the ITTF Annual General Meeting as of 27 May 2025 to
elect Ms Petra Sörling as the ITTF President is confirmed.
4. Any further claims of the Parties are rejected.
5. The costs of the proceedings shall be borne by the Appellants in the
following proportion: 50% by the First Appellant, and 50% by the Second
Appellant.
6. Each Party shall bear its own legal and other costs.
Lausanne, on 23 September 2025 (operative part served on 1 September 2025)
Anna Smirnova
Hearing Panel Chair
Morenike Obi-Farinde Olivier Ducrey

Link to document
https://documents.ittf.sport/sites/defa ... unds_0.pdf

https://www.thesportsexaminer.com/table ... atement%3A

So I am not sure this case is over and whether an appeal with CAS has been filed already

Take a look at video below & form your own opinion
I have no idea

The voting for election of the ITTF president starts at around after 9:36:00
The confusion starts around after 9:51:00
It is actually sort of quite entertaining

Note :- This video is blocked in some countries. Not sure why.
So you may have to use a VPN

Click on link below

Here are some older articles
https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles ... dent-qatar

RC 88h wrote: ↑September 25th, 2025, 3:41 am https://www.thesportsexaminer.com/table ... atement%3A

So I am not sure this case is over and whether an appeal with CAS has been filed already

The above article says
the rest of the meet must be held before the end of November and an online meeting has been suggested, which would be a considerable irony, since Al-Mohannadi complained vigorously about online voting at the May meeting.

LOL

Would CAS complete their investigation & issue a verdict before November 2025 for the AGM 2025 to be completed by November ?

Asia 45
Americas 46
Europe 58
Africa 54
Oceania 24
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Total 227