The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926, is the world-governing body of the sport of table tennis with 227 member Associations in the world. The ITTF supervises the staging of World Championships annually, and several other world title events. Around 120 international tournaments are sanctioned by the ITTF yearly. Its main function is to govern and develop the sport for the benefit of over thirty million competitive players in all parts of the world.
Table Tennis is an Olympic and Paralympic sport and is in the programme of the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as of all Multisport Games.
Reporting Line
Reports to: Head of Events, International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)
Position Summary
The ITTF Event Manager is a full time position responsible for the end‑to‑end planning, delivery, and evaluation of ITTF competitions and events. The role ensures that competitions are delivered in line with ITTF regulations, event manuals, and strategic objectives, while providing a high‑quality experience for athletes, officials, partners, broadcasters, and stakeholders.
Working closely with Local Organising Committees (LOCs), ITTF departments, and external service providers, the Event Manager plays a central operational role before, during, and after events, with a strong focus on competition integrity, operational readiness, international broadcast requirements, and stakeholder services.
This position requires extensive international travel, irregular working hours during event periods, and a strong ability to operate in high‑pressure, multicultural environments.
Key Responsibilities
Event Planning and Preparation
- Lead the planning and preparation of assigned ITTF competitions from concept through delivery. • Coordinate pre‑event timelines, deliverables, staffing plans, and operational readiness with LOCs and ITTF departments. • Support and contribute to the development, adaptation, and implementation of ITTF Event Manuals, prospectuses, and operational guidelines. • Participate in site inspections and readiness visits to assess venues, training facilities, official hotels, and operational infrastructure. • Ensure competition requirements are fully aligned with ITTF Rules, Regulations, and technical standards.
On‑Site Competition Operations
- Act as the primary ITTF competition representative on‑site for assigned events. • Oversee day‑to‑day operations across competition venues, training venues, player areas, mixed zones, and official hotels. • Coordinate closely with referees, technical officials, and competition staff to ensure smooth competition flow and adherence to schedules. • Support decision‑making related to competition scheduling, operational adjustments, and contingency planning. • Ensure health, safety, and duty‑of‑care standards are respected in all competition environments.
Broadcast and Production Coordination
- Liaise with host broadcasters, production companies, and ITTF broadcast teams to ensure competition operations support international broadcast requirements. • Coordinate competition schedules, venue access, lighting, field of play readiness, and timing to meet broadcast needs. • Act as a key operational link between competition operations and broadcast production teams on‑site.
Client Services and Stakeholder Management
- Deliver a high standard of client services for players, coaches, referees, officials, ITTF family members, and commercial partners. • Serve as an escalation point for operational and service‑related issues, ensuring timely and effective resolution. • Support athlete‑centered service delivery in line with ITTF values and event positioning. • Maintain professional and constructive working relationships with LOC leadership, partners, and service providers.
Logistics and Operational Coordination
- Coordinate competition‑related logistics including transportation, accommodation, catering, and venue access in collaboration with LOCs. • Ensure operational plans are aligned across competition venues, training facilities, and official hotels. • Monitor service delivery standards and address gaps in real time during events.
Cross‑Departmental Collaboration
- Work closely with ITTF broadcasting, marketing, commercial, communications, and technology teams to deliver integrated event objectives. • Ensure competition operations are aligned with branding, presentation, media, and commercial requirements. • Contribute operational expertise to internal planning meetings and project teams.
Post‑Event Reporting and Continuous Improvement
- Prepare and submit structured post‑event reports, including operational evaluations, debriefs, and recommendations. • Collect and consolidate feedback from stakeholders, officials, and internal teams. • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by identifying best practices and lessons learned. • Support updates to event documentation, manuals, and procedures based on event outcomes.
Required Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Degree or equivalent qualification in Sports Management, Event Management, or a related field. • Proven experience in competition or event management within international sport. • Strong understanding of competition operations, venue management, and event logistics. • Experience working with international federations, major sporting events, or multi‑stakeholder environments. • Excellent communication, coordination, and interpersonal skills. • Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under pressure. • Willingness and ability to travel extensively and work irregular hours, including weekends.
- Strong operational experience with tournament and competition management systems, including online entry platforms, draw and scheduling tools, scoring and results management software. Ability to coordinate these systems in live competition environments, liaise with referees and technical teams, ensure regulatory compliance, and resolve system-related issues efficiently to maintain competition flow and data integrity.
- Strong understanding of online streaming processes, including familiarity with end-to-end workflows for live sports streaming and digital video delivery. An understanding how streaming integrates with competition timing and venue operations.
- Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, including high-level proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. The role requires advanced skills in spreadsheet creation and data analysis (e.g., pivot tables, formulas, charts), professional document formatting, presentation design, and efficient email/calendar coordination. The Event Manager will routinely prepare operational plans, reports, logistical schedules, event manuals, statistical summaries, post-event evaluations, and stakeholder presentations using these tools. Comfort with cloud-based collaboration and version control (e.g., OneDrive/SharePoint) is also required.
Desirable
- Experience within table tennis or comparable racket sports. • Experience working with international broadcast production environments. • Familiarity with athlete services, accreditation systems, and event management systems. • Multilingual capabilities. • Experience contributing to event manuals, operational guidelines, or governance documentation.
- Familiarity with the application of artificial intelligence in sports event operations, broadcasting, data analysis, content workflows, or operational optimisation, and an interest in leveraging emerging technologies to enhance efficiency, decision-making, and stakeholder experience.
Key Competencies
- Operational leadership and problem‑solving • Stakeholder and client‑service orientation • Attention to detail and competition integrity • Cross‑cultural communication and teamwork • Adaptability in high‑pressure, live‑event environments • Proactive and solution‑focused mindset
Benchmarking and Industry Alignment
This role aligns with comparable competition and event management positions within other International Federations and major sports organisations, where responsibilities typically include end‑to‑end event delivery, close coordination with LOCs, broadcast and media integration, athlete‑centred service delivery, and structured post‑event reporting. The ITTF Event Manager position reflects best practices observed across Olympic and international sport events, adapted to the specific technical, operational, and regulatory requirements of table tennis.