Abbreviation USATT Type NPO Region served United States | Formation 1933 Purpose Sport governing body | |
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Headquarters Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States | ||
USA Table Tennis, colloquially known as USATT, is the non-profit governing body for table tennis in the United States and is responsible for cataloging and sanctioning tournaments within the United States. It was founded in 1933 as the United States Table Tennis Association. In addition to processing tournaments, USATT maintains a national rating and ranking system. It also oversees the USA National Teams. In total, USATT has over 8,000 members. The headquarters of USA Table Tennis is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, which is also home to the United States Olympic Training Center. USA Table Tennis offers a $100,000 incentive for American Olympic table tennis athletes, though no American athlete has ever won a medal for table tennis.
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History
The United States Table Tennis Association was created in 1933. The phrase "Table Tennis" was created because the name "Ping Pong" had already been trademarked by Parker Brothers. Though the legal name of the USATT remains the "United States Table Tennis Association, Inc.", the non-profit corporation adopted "USA Table Tennis" as their d/b/a name effective 1994.
Members
Although about 19 million Americans play for recreation, USATT has only about 8,100 members, as of April 2010. Membership costs $40 per year for adults and $20 per year for juniors and collegiate players. There are over 300 table tennis clubs affiliated with USATT, almost 50 of which are in California. There are almost 450 USATT Certified Coaches in the United States.
U.S. Open
Started in 1931, the annual U.S. Open is the oldest table tennis event in the United States. It attracts over 600 athletes annually. The U.S. Open has been previously held in various locations, including Anaheim, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Past Menʼs Singles champions include Chen Weixing and Aleksandar Karakašević. Past Womenʼs Singles champions include Zhang Mo and Li Jiawei.
The 2010 U.S. Open was held at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids, MI, between June 29 and July 3. The Men's Singles champion was Achanta Sharath Kamal of India and the Women's Singles champion was Georgina Pota of Hungary.
The 2011 U.S. Open will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
U.S. Nationals
The U.S. Nationals have been held since 1976. The tournament is closed to non-citizens of the United States. Held annually, the top finishers in the men's and women's singles events of the U.S. Nationals are allowed to compete at the USA Table Tennis National Team Trials. In addition, the U.S. Nationals determine the members of the USA Table Tennis Cadet and Junior Teams. Over 600 athletes registered for the 2009 U.S. Nationals, which were held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Past Men's Singles champions include Eric Owens and David Zhuang and past Women's Singles champions include Jasna Reed and Wang Chen.
USA Table Tennis National Teams
The rosters for the 2011 USA Table Tennis National Teams are as follows: