For the second time in four years, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has been suspended again. This time, it was the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports that suspended the TTFI's recognition over governance issues on Wednesday.
The order issued by the sports ministry mentioned that the federation failed to hold the administrative election on time. This is being considered one of the serious reasons for the federation’s suspension.
Meghna Ahlawat, the federation’s current president who was elected to the position in 2022, came under the scanner after Manika Batra was left out of the India squad for the 2026 Asian Games and was named only as a reserve. Later on, Manika raised the issue of her non-selection with the TTFI.
In terms of athlete welfare, the ministerial order mentioned that the federation had failed in its responsibility. It stated the delay in conducting the National Championships in 2025 as one of the reasons.
Many of these issues, especially the failure to conduct the election, led the ministry to issue a show cause notice earlier to the federation. In it, the ministry stated that it had received an unsatisfactory response.
Taking various issues into consideration, the ministry has accused the TTFI of repeated disregard of directions and guidelines issued by the ministry. In the order, the TTFI is mentioned to have failed in following principles of accountability and democratic functioning, which were expected by the ministry from a National Sports Federation.
In February 2022, the TTFI was suspended by the Delhi High Court over discrepancies in the player selection process. At that time, it was Manika Batra who challenged the selection policy, which resulted in her exclusion from that year's Asian Championships.
What is the next course of action for the TTFI?
In the ministerial order, the Sports Ministry has directed the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to form an ad‑hoc committee to administer the sport until a duly constituted governance structure is restored in the TTFI. The direction has been taken after consulting with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The federation can now be restored if it conducts formal democratic elections and elects a new set of executive office bearers. The federation will also have to align with the National Sports Development Code of India in its governance structure, with a tenure limit of four years for the elected administration, and the consecutive conduct of fresh elections at the end of each tenure.
