European Table Tennis Union
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| Abbreviation | ETTU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| Affiliation | ITTF |
| Headquarters | Luxembourg City |
| President | Ronald Kramer |
| Official website | |
| ettu |
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The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognised for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organisation of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.
Following their decision to make the World Table Tennis Championships a biennial event from 1957 onwards, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) invited the separate European table tennis associations to consider holding a European Championships in the intervening, even-numbered years. At a meeting on 13th March 1957 in during that year's World Championships, the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) was created by the associations of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the USSR, Wales, West Germany and Yugoslavia. A board of seven was elected, including Frenchman Jean Belot as the first chairman, and the first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1958.
At a meeting in 1960, the ETTU decided to introduce a competition for European club teams, and the first European Club Cup of Champions for men took place in early 1961, with a women's event added three years later. In 1964, the ETTU assumed responsibility for youth competitions in Europe, and in 1970 the main competition for youth players was renamed the European Youth Championships. An experimental classification tournament was held in 1971, featuring the top twelve-ranked European players in a round robin-style competition. This event would go on to be held annually as the Europe Top-12.
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