Table tennis spat

“This is a distortion of the championship”

A performance center in Germany and the approach of some Austrian table tennis clubs is a thorn in the side of the UTTC Oberwart chairman and Bundesliga division manager. He tells the "Krone" why.

In recent weeks, UTTC Oberwart has also faced teams from Tyrol in the lower play-offs of the Austrian table tennis league. And when you looked at the team squads, you rubbed your eyes in amazement. "Koreans, Hungarians. You don't even know who you'll be playing against," says chairman Franz Felber.

And there is a reason for this. A performance center in Germany makes it "possible". "Top international players always train there for a few weeks. And the Tyrolean clubs have made it their fashion to register these players as professionals for this period. But that distorts the championship," says Felber - who is also head of the Bundesliga division.

This must be stopped in future. Perhaps even introduce higher license fees for such clubs.

Bundesliga-Bereichsleiter Franz Felber

According to Felber, sustainability suffers the most. "The lower play-off in particular should be a stage or a springboard for young talent. That is being taken ad absurdum here."

"It's no fun like this"

As a solution to the "problem", the Oberwart "mastermind" - who once again has a powerful squad with Kases and Co. "It must be stopped in future. Perhaps introduce higher license fees for such clubs. All regional presidents are also called upon. Otherwise there won't be any children playing table tennis in Austria in a few years' time."