TABLE TENNIS AUSTRALIA National Senior Top 10 Ranking Tournament Regulations Effective June 2016
1. Authority Table Tennis Australia holds the authority over the National Senior Top 10 tournament. The tournament is held annually as part of the High Performance competition program and the HP event calendar. TTA offers the right to host a National Top 10 event through a bid and tender process. 1.1 Any Association affiliated with TTA, or individuals, groups, acting on behalf of the affiliated Association may tender an application to host the tournament. 1.2 The tenderer granted the right to organise the tournament shall be termed the Host Association. 1.3 The right to host a TOP 10 tournament will be granted by the Board of Table Tennis Australia based on merits of the applications received through the tender process. 2. Host The host association is responsible for the local organisation of the event and as such the operational implementation of the conditions and requirements outlined in these regulations and the event prospectus which is provided by TTA. Fields of responsibilities include, but are not limited to, set up of the fields of play (both training and competition), sport presentation and medal ceremony, provision of work space for the Competition Manager, the referee and the deputy referee, provision of volunteers, etc. 3. Regulations The tournament will be played in accordance with The Laws of Table Tennis and the Regulations for International Competitions as detailed in the current ITTF Handbook. The Competition Manager and the referee will have the authority to make executive/policy decisions. They have final discretion over the interpretation and any necessary amendments of these regulations. 4. Timing & Composition The tournament shall be held annually as per TTA s HP event calendar. 4.1 The tournament shall comprise the following events 4.1.1 Men s Singles 4.1.2 Women s Singles 5. Eligibility The National Senior Top 10 is open to all players who: 1) Are a registered member of TTA affiliated State and/or Territory Assoc. 2) Hold Australian Citizenship Page 2
6. Event Format & Schedule 6.1 The Top 10 Tournament will be played in three (3) stages. Qualification Round The first stage will be a qualification round of maximum 8 players per event and will be played prior to the main Round Robin. The format of the qualification round will depend on the number of entries. If there are more than 6 entries the qualification round will be played in two round robin groups of which the winners play each other in a final play-off match to determine the qualifier into the main event. The remaining players will play each other in direct play-off matches (second placed player in group A will face second placed player in group B, third placed player in group A faces third placed player in group B and so forth) to determine the positions 3 to 8. If there are 6 entries or less the qualification round will be played in a single round robin of which the winner qualifies for the main event. First Round & Play-Offs The first round will be played in round robin groups of five players. Positions 1 and 2 from each group will advance to the knockout stage in crossover semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will play-off for first and second position, the losers of the semi-finals will play off for positions 3 and 4. Positions 3, 4 and 5 from each group play off for overall positions 5-10. Positions 3 and 4 will be crossover play-off matches of which the winners play off for overall positions 5 and 6, and the losers play off for overall positions 7 and 8. Positions 5 from each group will play each other for overall positions 9 and 10. In the group stage and in the play-off for positions 5-10 will be played as best of five games. For positions 1-4, the Semi-Final and Finals, will be played as best of seven games. 6.2 The tournament will start with qualification rounds on Friday and conclude with the Men s and Women s Singles finals on Sunday. 6.3 The tournament shall be played on four (4) competition tables of international size (7m x 14m), with at least 4 practice tables available at any time of the competition. The Men s and Women s Singles must be played consecutively. Page 3
7. Entries The entry spots are allocated as outlined below: 1-6 Six best placed eligible players in the current Australian National Senior Ranking 7 Winner of the previous years National Junior Top 10 Event 8 Host Wildcard 9 TTA Wildcard 10 Winner of the Qualification Round Any available entry spots in any event under 1-6 before the entry deadline will be filled in order of the current National Ranking. Should the winner of the previous years National Junior Top 10 Ranking Tournament not be available, the quota place will be awarded to the next best placed player at the Junior Top 10 and so forth. Vacant entry spots after the entry deadline will be filled in order of the final placings in the qualification round. To enter the event, players are required to fill out the entry form and make payment of the prescribed fee to TTA by the means indicated in the prospectus. 8. Entry Fees Entry fees are currently set at $25/athlete, but are to be set between TTA and the local host. The entry fees are an income of the local host. 9. Competition Manager & Tournament Referee 9.1 The TTA URC shall appoint the Competition Manager and the Tournament Referee. 9.2 The Competition Manager is the TTA representative at the event and is responsible for the online and offline presentation of the event. 9.3 The Tournament Referee needs to hold a current National or International Referee accreditation. 9.4 The TTA URC may appoint a suitable Deputy Referee. The Deputy Referee needs to hold a current National or International Referee/Umpire accreditation. 9.5 TTA will cover the airfare and the hospitality of the Tournament Referee and if required the Deputy Referee. 10. Umpires 10.1 The TTA URC, with assistance from the Organising Committee, shall appoint ten (10) umpires for the duration of the tournament which should hold a State Umpire accreditation at the minimum. 10.2 TTA will pay each umpire $30 per diem for each day of competition. Page 4
11. Invitations 11.1 Invitations will be sent to the individual athletes who have qualified to participate in the TTA Top 10. The invitations will be sent at an appropriate time but at least within 6 weeks of the tournament. 11.2 Only athletes who meet the TTA eligibility requirements shall be invited to participate in the tournament. 12. Seeding 12.1 The seeding for the event will be based on the current National Senior Ranking list, provided it is not more than 6 months old. In such case the seeding will be determined by the TTA selection panel. 12.2 If there are more than six entries in the qualification round the top two players will be separated by seeding as group heads. 13. Draw 13.1 The draw for the events shall take place on the evening prior to the qualification tournament and main draw commencing or before if deemed appropriate. 14. Equipment 14.1 All equipment used for the tournament shall be ITTF approved, and meet international standards. 14.2 The lighting in the venue shall be at least 600 lux, but preferably higher. If the event is broadcasted by TV or live streamed on the internet the minimum lighting requirements are 1000 lux. 15. Clothing 15.1 All athletes shall have clothing that meets the ITTF regulations in regards to colour, as well as sponsor regulations. 15.2 All athletes shall have at least two different coloured uniforms to ensure there are no uniform clashes with opponents. 16. Ceremonies 16.1 Prize giving ceremony will close the competition. Eligible athletes need to attend the ceremony in order to be eligible to receive their prize money. 17. Prize money/trophies 17.1 The event has a total prize money of at least $3.000. This amount is funded by TTA s HP program. Additional prize money can be offered by a potential host as part of the tender process. 17.2 TTA shall provide trophies for the winners of each event. 18. Results 18.1 Full results shall be made available online within 24 hours of the completion of the event. Page 5