Table Tennis England Chairman Sandra Deaton has been elected to the key role of Vice-President of Finance on the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) Executive Board.
Sandra took two-thirds of the vote in the online election to defeat Roland Natran of Hungary by 32 votes to 16.
She takes her place on an Executive Board which has a female majority under new President Igor Levitin of Russia.
Mr Levitin was elected unopposed in place of Ronald Kramer, who had held the post since 2013 but did not seek re-election. The Deputy President, Pedro Moura of Portugal, was also elected unopposed.
The Executive Board is completed by five Vice-Presidents, including legendary Belarus player Vladimir Samsonov, Sonja Grefberg (Finland), Miguel Vicens (France), Heike Ahlert (Germany) and Ina Jozepsone (Latvia), as well as Spanish athlete Galia Dvorak, Chair of the Athletes Commission. Board members serve a four-year term.
Sandra said: “I am very honoured to have been elected to the role of Vice President of Finance. I look forward to working with the newly elected President Igor Levitin, the whole ETTU Executive Board and the executive team to strengthen table tennis in Europe.”
Levitin, 68, is also a Member of the ITTF President’s Advisory Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia.
In his manifesto, he stated plans to:
- Engage with a modern generation of fans and attract young people to the sport;
- Place athletes at the heart of all key decisions;
- Empower member associations and increase ETTU influence on the global stage;
- Grow and promote women’s table tennis;
- Increase transparency and become an example of good governance;
- Increase revenues for reinvestment to European table tennis;
- Develop a fairer quota system in the sport.
Sandra added: “He has a strong vision for global table tennis, with a strong partnership with the ITTF. His vision is to put the athletes at the centre of the European strategy and increase income to support a strong development and professional programme.
“I have had numerous discussions with Mr Levitin and I have every confidence he will deliver his vision – and I am excited to be part of the team delivering his vision.”