Table Tennis Australia Approves Athlete Exemptions for WTT US Smash

After careful consideration, the National Selection Panel has decided to approve exemptions for qualifying athletes from participating in the 2025 National Championships to compete in the World Table Tennis (WTT) US Smash being held in Las Vegas from July 3-13.  

A late change to the global Table Tennis calendar has resulted in the WTT US Smash clashing with the Table Tennis Australia National Championships being held in Traralgon from 6-13 July.  

While there was concern that granting exemptions may lead to Australia’s top players missing significant domestic events, TTA recognises the importance of international exposure for athlete development. The WTT US Smash provides athletes with valuable opportunities to enhance their profiles and progress their careers.  

The recent Able-Body High Performance review emphasised increasing competition between domestic and overseas-based athletes, as a result TTA continues to explore further opportunities to achieve a balance between domestic and international exposure, as well as elevating the level of competition of our TTA Tour events, and the change in ranking points is helping this.  

TTA Management is pleased to have 11 out of 13 athletes from our senior national squad competing in the TTA Tour in Sydney later this month and is working with our national squad athletes to get them to additional national events in 2025. 

TTA aims to strengthen the foundations of Australian table tennis and improve pathways to international success, with a focus on building a world-class team and supporting athletes, coaches, and support staff in achieving their full potential as they work towards LA 2028, Brisbane 2032 and beyond. 

The decision to approve these exemptions underscores TTA's commitment to providing athletes with opportunities to compete at the highest levels, while maintaining a strong domestic competition framework. 

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