KARACHI: The Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) com­m­e­morates its 45th anniversary on the sidelines of the Asian Table Tennis Championship in China next year.

“The ATTU has planned to publish an elaborate anniversary book that envisaged history and the competitions held under its aegis,” its founding vice-president S. M. Sibtain, who has been given the task of compiling anniversary book, told Dawn on Wednesday.

Sibtain, who leaves for Dubai on Thursday to attend the ATTU Executive Board meeting slated on April 29 and 30, said the regional ping pong body was formed at Beijing in 1972 with 16 members including Pakistan. Presently, 42 nations are under the umbrella of ATTU, he added.

He recalled that though China became member of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 1953, it was denied regional membership by the then Table Tennis Federation of Asia (TTFA) until 1970 as they used to recognise Taiwan as China.

He added that the then TTFA president, who hails from Japan, resigned and consulted Chinese officials that led to formation of the ATTU with the blessings of the ITTF.

Sibtain, who is also president of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) said his predecessor S. H. Shah and former national champion Farooq Zaman, who was then PTTF secretary, attended the ATTU convening meeting held in May 1972.

“I was nominated manager of the Pakistan team for the inaugural Asian Table Tennis Championship held at Beijing in Sept 1972 and was given proxy to attend the first executive committee and congress meetings of the ATTU,” he remarked.

He added that former national champion Javed Hayat will accompany him on the Dubai trip at an invitation of the ATTU. The PTTF has accorded necessary approval to the former champion to attend the moot.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2016