USA Table Tennis Announces 2021 National Team Selection Procedures
by Sean O'Neill, High-Performance Director
USA Table Tennis Announces 2021 National Team Selection Procedures
USATT High Performance Department and High-Performance Committee Establish
the Paths for Table Tennis Athletes to Earn a Spot on the US National Team
(Colorado Springs, CO – March 12, 2021) – USA Table Tennis (“USATT”), the National Governing Body for the sport of table tennis, today announced the Selection Procedures for the 2021 US National Team. The joint effort of the USATT High Performance Department and the High Performance Committee established the avenues described below under which table tennis athletes can earn a position on the US National Team.
The 2021 National Team Adult Selection Procedures are as follows:
- The highest ranked male and/or female player within the top fifty (50) on the ITTF Ranking adult list, if any, as of May 1, 2021 will qualify for the first spot on the National Team for that player’s respective gender.
- The remaining positions, up to and including a total of eight (8), on the male and female adult teams will qualify from the 2021 Adult National Team Trials.
USATT will announce the date and location for the Adult National Team trial in the immediate future. It is important to note that the top four positions on the Adult National Team will be eligible for USATT Performance Pathway Grants, which allow for reimbursement of costs related to travel, hotel, and food, as well as entries for domestic and international competitions.
The 2021 National Team Youth Selection Procedures are as follows:
- The first position on the male and female youth teams will be awarded to the 2021 National Champions in their respective age divisions (U-19, U-15, U-13, U-11).
- The remaining positions, two through eight (2 – 8), on the male and female youth teams will qualify from the 2021 Youth National Team Trials.
As with the Adult National Team Trials, details for the Youth National Team Trials are expected to be announced in the immediate future.
USATT’s HPD / HPC also released the selection procedures for the 2021 Pan Am Junior Games, where USATT anticipates entering a two-person team in both the male and female divisions. Those selection procedures are:
- The highest ranked male and/or female player within the top fifty (50) on the ITTF Ranking adult list, if any, as of May 1, 2021 will qualify for the first spot on the National Team for that player’s respective gender.
- The remaining positions on the Pan Am Junior Games team will qualify from the 2021 Pan Am Junior Games Trials.
USATT will announce the date and location for the 2021 Pan Am Junior Games in the near future.
USATT also announced today that, since World Table Tennis (WTT) allows for an Under-17 event at certain select tournaments, USATT will also run the Under-17 event at the 2021 US National Championships. That event will result in a rank order finish with the top eight determining respective positions for selection purposes for WTT Under-17 events.
* If the 2021 US Nationals is cancelled, USATT will fill the first position on each team from the top finisher in the trials and not use the 2021 National Age Champions.
Questions regarding the US National Team Selection Procedures can be sent to Admin@USATT.org.