Table tennis / Protocols & guidance
Officials and appeals
ITTF · 2026In short
Who decides facts, rule interpretations and tournament questions.
Different responsibilities
The umpire controls rallies, scoring, service order and continuity of play. The assistant has defined responsibilities, including the nearest table edge and certain shared decisions. The referee oversees the competition and interprets the laws. Replacing an official does not let the referee rewrite that official’s factual decisions.
The correct appeal route
A disputed interpretation goes to the referee; other tournament matters outside the rules go to the management committee. Factual decisions cannot be appealed to the referee. Where Table Tennis Review operates, its official can review factual decisions and makes the final review decision. Players or team captains use the applicable appeal route.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Based on the supplied ITTF Statutes 2026, effective 01/01/2026: the Laws of Table Tennis and selected international competition regulations. Independent condensed explanations with wheelchair exceptions identified. Administrative, disciplinary and event-specific chapters are not reproduced in full. References use PDF pages.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗