KARACHI: Former national table tennis player Tauqeer Muhajir has succeeded veteran and respected S M. Sibtain as president of the Pakistan Table Tennis Federation (PTTF) after the latter had stepped down owing to fast-catching age. Sibtain was however, elevated to the post of chairman.

“I express my personal gratitude to all the associates in PTTF for obliging him by finally accepting his deferred request to relieve him of the onerous responsibilities that for quite sometime he was unable to do justice besides trusting him to nominate his successor,” he said in a statement.

He also prayed for the success of Tauqeer’s illustrious team ably supported by competent people.

The mid-term change of guard happened in the annual general body meeting that took place at Lahore the other day. Senior Punjab bureaucrat Ahmer Mallick will continue to serve as secretary while Kifayatullah Khan has been inducted as treasurer on the vacant post.

The office-bearers will complete the remaining term before going for the polls in Dec 2021.

The newly elected PTTF chief has vowed to make the body financially strong by launching Pakistan Table Tennis League this year besides reviving the game at the grassroots level.

“The pro league will hopefully launch sometime in 2020 that will give financial incentive to the players aimed at infusing a new spirit among them,” a confident Tauqeer told Dawn in his opening statement on Wednesday.

He regretted that the closure of departmental teams had done damage not only to ping pong but to all sports other then cricket.

“Inviting of at least two Chinese coaches — one to groom players and the other to train pool of coaches — will also be among his priorities,” he said while recalling the role of Yao in 1977 that changed dimensions of the game and enabled the country to attain fifth slot in men’s team event in Asia.

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2020