Happy 85th Birthday to Honorary President of ITTF: Mr. Xu Yinsheng

Published Tue 06 Jun 2023

Born in 1938, Mr. Xu Yinsheng is four-time world champion, and won seven medals at the World Cup. He was the coach of the Chinese national team at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, and was the President of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) from 1995 until 1999. In 2010, he was inducted into the ITTF Hall of Fame.

Mr. Xu Yinsheng is one of five Chinese table tennis team members who participated in the 1971 Australia China Ping Pong Diplomacy Tour with Mr Noel Shorter from NSW, Mr Paul Pinkewich from NSW and Steve Knapp from VIC. Mr Xu was the president of the China Table Tennis Association (CTTA) 1977 - 2009.

Mr. Xu Yinsheng was the fifth ITTF President to assume office, and he is known for prioritising the promotion and development of table tennis worldwide. Following a thorough process of negotiating proposals, discussion, initial rejection and then further discussion, on 23rd February 2000 the ITTF Congress agreed on a ball size increase of two millimetres – a marginal change on paper, but one which would ultimately make the game an even greater spectacle!

Mr Noel Shorter, Mr Paul Pinkewich, Mr Steve Knapp and Dr Michael Li expressed their best wishes to Mr. Xu, and said “Happy 85th Birthday! We are looking forward to meeting you in the near future”. Mr Noel Shorter demonstrated the invaluable souvenir from Chinese Premier Chou Enlai in 1971 - one rock of the Great Wall which was built during 220 - 206 BC. It is believed that it is the only rock from the Great Wall given as a souvenir by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to any guests from overseas in modern Chinese history.