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Table Tennis — equipment laws, ranking points & national selection

Governed by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) · Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's table tennis map for India: the table, net, ball and racket laws in the ITTF Statutes 2026, the service and scoring rules, racket control, TTFI's age-group ranking ladder and its points-based selection policy, what the August 2026 suspension of TTFI means for players, the SAI centres and the Ultimate Table Tennis league, who pays, and the awards and jobs after a medal.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap ITTF Statutes 2026 — Laws of Table Tennis (PDF) ttfi.org

Table: 2.74 m × 1.525 m, 76 cm above the floor [1]
Net height: 15.25 cm along its whole length [1]
Ball: 40 mm, 2.7 g, white or orange, matt [1]
Senior selection weight: 50% national · 40% international · 10% selectors [2]

01 Core rules & equipment standards

Table, net, ball and racket — the 2026 Laws

Laws of Table Tennis (ITTF Statutes 2026, Chapter 2) [1]

Laws of Table Tennis (ITTF Statutes 2026, Chapter 2)
Item	The law
Table	2.74 m long, 1.525 m wide, top 76 cm above the floor; a standard ball dropped from 30 cm must bounce about 23 cm
Net	Top 15.25 cm above the playing surface; posts 15.25 cm high, 15.25 cm outside the side line
Ball	Spherical, 40 mm diameter, 2.7 g, plastic, white or orange and matt
Blade	Any size, shape or weight, but flat and rigid; at least 85% natural wood by thickness; a carbon or glass-fibre layer may be no thicker than 7.5% of the blade or 0.35 mm, whichever is smaller
Rubber	Pimpled rubber under 2.05 mm or sandwich rubber under 4.05 mm including adhesive; black on one side, a bright colour on the other; no physical or chemical treatment
Playing space	At least 14 m × 7 m × 5 m high at international events

Serve: the ball rests on the open, still palm, is tossed near vertically at least 16 cm without spin, and is struck behind the end line and above the table, never hidden from the receiver.
A game goes to 11 points (at 10–10, first to lead by 2); a match is the best of an odd number of games.
The expedite system starts after 10 minutes of a game unless at least 18 points have been scored. [1]

Racket rubbers must be ITTF-authorised, glued so that the ITTF logo and brand are visible near the handle, with adhesives free of harmful volatile solvents.
Rackets are tested at a racket control centre at ITTF world-title and Olympic events; a racket that fails before the match cannot be used. Four failures in four years bring a 12-month suspension. [1]

02 Institutional & global recognition

Olympics, Asian Games, World Championships — and the UTT league

Government cash award for a senior table tennis medal (₹ lakh) [10]

Government cash award for a senior table tennis medal (₹ lakh)
Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Olympic Games	75	50	30
Asian Games / Commonwealth Games	30	20	10
World Championships, open event (biennial)	20	14	8

The World Championships team event and the Asian Cup are also on the Ministry's table tennis list. In a team event each member gets 75% of the individual amount. Apply on the DBT-MIS portal within six months. [10]

At the Asian Games 2026, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale won bronze in mixed doubles. [8]

Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 opened in Goa in July 2026 — the league's first edition in the state, with ITTF President Petra Sörling at the inauguration. The 87th Inter-State Junior and Youth Nationals (Dehradun, April 2026) were also held under the UTT name. [6][7]

03 Physical benchmarks & NADA clearance

Age groups, age tests and anti-doping

TTFI ranking categories (2026 ranking lists) [4]

TTFI ranking categories (2026 ranking lists)
Group	Categories
Youth boys & girls	U11 · U13 · U15 · U17 · U19
Senior	Men · Women

SAI's Age Verification Test applies to boys up to 17 and girls up to 15: a doctor's physical examination, a dentist's examination and a TW3 X-ray. Appeals go to the Medical Appellate Board at AIIMS New Delhi. [9]

SAI centres admit trainees only after anthropometric, physiological and psychological tests and a battery of tests — no direct admission. [13]

You must be available for testing in and out of competition and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; if no permitted treatment exists, apply to NADA for a TUE. [11]

04 Grassroots-to-elite residential pipeline

From the U11 ranking event to the national team

1Grassroots & local entry 8–14 · U11
2State to national breakthrough U15–U19
3National camp & elite trials Senior
4International orbit World ranking

The full Table Tennis roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap

05 Top elite academies & cities

Where India's table tennis players train

SAI centres with table tennis [13]

SAI centres with table tennis
Centre	What it is
Kolkata NCOE, West Bengal	Table tennis with archery, athletics, gymnastics and hockey
Gandhinagar NCOE, Gujarat	Table tennis for para players, with handball, kabaddi, kho-kho, athletics, powerlifting, swimming
SAI Training Centres	State-built halls with SAI coaches, ages 12–18
STC extension centres & NSTC schools	Non-residential training in schools and colleges that SAI adopts

Table tennis is one of SAI's 13 priority disciplines. [13]

06 Equipment costs & who pays

Blades, rubbers and who pays the bills

A player's own kit is the racket: a blade that is at least 85% natural wood, two ITTF-authorised rubbers (one black), and solvent-free glue. Rubbers wear out and must be replaced — any physical or chemical treatment of the rubber is illegal.
Tables, nets and balls at events must be brands currently approved by the ITTF. [1]

Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them.

Who pays — table tennis ladder [13][15]

Who pays — table tennis ladder
Stage	Paid by	What you get
SAI school (NSTC/extension) trainee	Sports Authority of India	Coaching while you study
SAI centre trainee	Sports Authority of India	Coaching, boarding, sports science, diet
Khelo India athlete	Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports	₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
Junior medal prospect	TOPS Development Group	₹25,000 a month
Olympic prospect	TOPS Core Group	₹50,000 a month + approved training plan
Athlete in hardship	PDU National Welfare Fund	Up to ₹2.50 lakh

No supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — food first, with a certified nutritionist. [12]

07 Earning channels & central job quotas

Awards, the league and sports-quota jobs

Table tennis is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
Medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or World Championships can bring up to three out-of-turn promotions.
These central instructions do not apply to Railways Services, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Space and some DRDO technical services. [16]

Medals at the Khelo India Youth Games (above-18 category), Junior Nationals and SGFI school games now count for central sports-quota jobs. [17]

Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons: ₹12,000–20,000 a month after retirement.
National Sports Awards — Khel Ratna, Arjuna, Dronacharya (coaches). [15]

08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that cost a player the match

A hidden or low toss — after one warning, every serve that is not clearly legal is a fault.
Treated or unauthorised rubber — fail racket control before the match and the racket is out; four failures in four years means a 12-month ban.
Wrong colours — one side must be black and the other a bright colour distinct from the ball. [1]

Skipping ranking events — up to 80% of a youth player's selection score comes from national performance. [2]

09 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 16 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

ITTF — Statutes 2026 (v1, consolidated), Chapter 2: The Laws of Table Tennis and Chapter 3 regulations (opens in a new tab) Table, net, ball, racket, service, game and match, expedite system, playing space, authorised equipment, racket control · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
Table Tennis Federation of India — Selection Policy (14 July 2026) (opens in a new tab) National/international/selector weights, points tables, direct selection, tie rule · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
Table Tennis Federation of India — Tournament Calendar 2026 (opens in a new tab) National ranking events, Senior, Junior & Youth and Sub-Junior & Cadet Nationals dates · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
Table Tennis Federation of India — Ranking 2026 (opens in a new tab) U11 to U19 and senior ranking categories · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
All India Radio News — Sports Ministry suspends TTFI's recognition till restoration of its governance structure (12 Aug 2026) (opens in a new tab) Suspension, IOA ad-hoc committee, reasons including the delayed 2025 Nationals · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
All India Radio News — Goa CM inaugurates Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 (10 Jul 2026) (opens in a new tab) UTT Season 7 in Goa, ITTF President present · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
All India Radio News — J&K's Ritvik Gupta wins Under-17 Boys National Table Tennis title (25 Apr 2026) (opens in a new tab) UTT 87th Inter-State Junior and Youth Nationals, Dehradun · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
All India Radio News — PM congratulates players for Asian Games 2026 medals (26 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) Mixed doubles bronze for Manush Shah and Diya Chitale · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
SAI Khelo India Talent Identification Division — Circular on Age Verification Test (24 Aug 2022; copy on the IWLF website) (opens in a new tab) AVT ages, clinical/dental/TW3 X-ray method, AIIMS appeal · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Award amounts, table tennis World Championships and Asian Cup listing, team 75% rule · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Table tennis NCOEs, STC, extension centres, NSTC schools, battery of tests · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
Khelo India — How to become a Khelo India Athlete (opens in a new tab) Scouting, assessment camps, NSRS registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension, national awards · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Table tennis in the 65-sport list, Group C, out-of-turn promotion, Railways exclusion · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Khelo India Games, Junior Nationals and SGFI medallists added · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.