USATT Announces Election Timeline for Third and Fourth Elite Athlete Board Reps And Opens Nomination Process for USATT Athlete’s Advisory Council

Three 10 Year Elite Athletes Will Be on the Ballot for the Third Elite Athlete Board Position – and 10+ Year Elite Athlete Amy Feng Will Run Unopposed for the Fourth Elite Athlete Board Position

(Colorado Springs, CO – November 19, 2024) – USA Table Tennis (“USATT”) today announced that three 10 Year Elite Athletes have been nominated to run for the Third Elite Athlete Position on the USATT Board of Directors, and one 10+ Year Elite Athlete, Amy Feng, will run unopposed for the Fourth Elite Athlete Position on the Board. USATT also today opened the nomination process for what will be four available slots on the seven-member USATT Athlete’s Advisory Council [“AAC”].

Tom Feng, Jishan Liang, and Sid Naresh have been nominated to run in the election for the Third Elite Athlete Board Position. Since the First and Second Athlete Board Positions were won in the recently completed election by Para Elite Athletes, Ian Seidenfeld and Tahl Leibovitz, respectively, the Third Elite Athlete Board Position must be held by an able-bodied athlete under USATT’s Bylaws.

Only 10 Year Elite Athletes are eligible to vote in the Elite Athlete Board Position Elections. A 10 Year Elite Athlete is defined as an athlete who represented the United States in an “Operation Gold Competition” Table Tennis Event (the Summer Olympics, the Summer Paralympics, World Championships, Para World Championships, Pan American Games, and Para Pan American Games) within the previous 10 years, i.e. on or after January 1, 2015.

Under the USATT Bylaws, the Fourth Elite Athlete Board Position must go to a 10+ Year Athlete, if such an athlete is in fact nominated. 10+ Year Elite Athletes are those athletes who represented the US in an Operation Gold Competition on or before December 31, 2014. Amy Feng, who is a 10+ Year Athlete, has been nominated for the Fourth Athlete Position. She will run unopposed on the upcoming ballot, which will be delivered to eligible voters this Friday, November 22, 2024, and will remain open until Sunday, December 8, 2024, at 11:59 pm US Mountain time.

As with the First and Second Elite Athlete Board Positions, the winner of the Third Elite Athlete Board Position and Amy Feng, as the Fourth Elite Athlete, will serve a term on the USATT Board of Directors that begins on January 1, 2025, and concludes on December 31, 2028.

It is important to note that all candidates running for an Elite Athlete Board Position must disclose in advance any prior felony conviction(s) or any periods of ineligibility served in sport for any reason, including disciplinary decisions and/or SafeSport violations.

The First, Second and Third Elite Athletes will also serve a four-year term on the USATT AAC. The Third Elite Athlete will be the Chair of the AAC. USATT is now accepting nominations for the other four available slots on the seven-member council. Nominations for USATT’s AAC should be sent to: Admin@usatt.org; and must be received by Sunday, December 1, 2024, at 11:59 pm US Mountain time. After the nomination process closes, an election will be held and the top four finishers in that election will serve a four-year term on the AAC.

The mission of USATT’s AAC is to protect the rights of athletes while fostering communication between USATT and table tennis athletes who are actively engaged in USATT athletic competitions and have represented the United States in international competition. The responsibilities of the AAC include maintaining active communication with the members of the represented athlete pool, USATT’s management and staff, the High-Performance Department, and other key stakeholders on important matters impacting athletes’ lives. The AAC also provides an avenue for athletes to voice their concerns, as well as to assist in the development of selection procedures for international competitions, including the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.

To be an eligible candidate for the AAC, a person must meet the following qualifications under Section 11.2 of the USATT Bylaws:

Section 11.2. Qualifications.

In order to be eligible to run for, nominate, or vote in the election for USATT AAC, one must:

• Meet the standards of an Elite Athlete as set forth above in Section 4.1 (e);
• Be a United States citizen;
• Have attained the age of at least eighteen (18) by the date of the first day of the term of service;
• Be and remain a member in good standing of USATT ninety (90) days prior to the date of the election;
• Complete the USATT Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement and provide the form to the USATT Chief Executive Officer or designee; and,
• Disclose any felony convictions, any periods of ineligibility based on anti-doping or SafeSport violations.

A member of the AAC must be a 10 Year Elite Athlete.

Persons interested in determining whether you qualify to run and/or vote in these Elite Athlete Board Position elections or serve on the ACC as either a “10 Year” or “10+ Year” Elite Athlete can request a determination by contacting USATT at admin@usatt.org.

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