Table tennis legend Ai Fukuhara was appointed CEO of WTT Japan – UKTN

World Table Tennis (WTT) has appointed table tennis legend Ai Fukuhara as its first ever general manager in Japan. In his new role, Fukuhara will lead WTT’s strategic development in Japan, a key market for table tennis worldwide.

“I have been involved in table tennis as a player so far and I am glad that WTT recognized my results and experience,” Fukuhara said. “As the CEO of WTT Japan, I can support table tennis players and families from different perspectives and perspectives and hope to revitalize the sport. I think the WTT events are really focused on the players, which greatly benefits the players. The competition framework is also really exciting now. And I think that’s a great thing. I started playing at the age of three and learned a lot about table tennis, I would like to pass on my experience to the next generation, focus on the important needs of the players and work hard for them.

Fukuhara’s responsibilities include creating tournament opportunities for WTT, stimulating sponsorship and investment efforts, supporting the growth of the sport, and increasing sales of media rights in Japan. The ITTF Group created WTT as a business and events division and has changed the way sports are played and adopted around the world. It heralds a new era for professional table tennis, and events combine sports and entertainment to provide fans and viewers with a new and dynamic experience.

As the second largest table tennis market with several Top 10 players and a new generation breaking into the world stage, Japan offers significant growth potential. The market also showed its potential during Tokyo 2020. The Olympic table tennis competition reached a top audience of more than 21 million people and reached 54.4% of the population.

“We are excited to begin this partnership with one of the most iconic players of its generation,” said Steve Dainton, CEO of ITTF Group and CEO of WTT. “We believe there are many opportunities in Japan, both in terms of sports and business development, and we would like to see the WTT event in Japan soon. Oh is the right person to help us achieve our goals. , and we look forward to table tennis together.

Fukuhara, affectionately known in Japan as Ai-chan, is one of Japan’s most famous stars. He rose to fame as a prodigy after becoming a professional at the age of 10 and became the youngest player to play for the national team. As a four-time Olympic winner, he won team silver at the 2012 London Olympics – Japan’s first-ever Olympic medal in table tennis. He also won a bronze in Rio in 2016 and won six world championships during his career. He announced his retirement from the competition in October 2018.