World table tennis ruling body decided on Friday to limit the number of registration-switching players.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) passed the proposal upon the suggestion from the Executive Committee and the Swiss table tennis association, to ban the 21-year-old and older players from switching to other associations.

Despite strong opposition from the Hong Kong and New Zealand associations, the board of directors voted 46-2 to pass the proposal.

"This showed me that all the member associations know what's the best for the development of table tennis," said ITTF president Adham Sharara.

"I'm surprised and happy. I thought it a half-half thing and never expected an absolute majority," he added.

The table tennis chief, who's insisted that the proposal is not against any association, said he could tell that the Hong Kong representative gave a blackball to the ballot.

"It's too crucial to the overseas players if the ITTF follows the new rule," said Yue Kwok-leung, president to the Hong Kong Table Tennis Association.

"I don't think the proposal had been discussed enough," he said.

"In the globalizing world, most of players are traveling from this country to another, and they mainly earn money from national teams rather than clubs. The new rule means some of them could be jobless," he added.

According to the resolution, players over 21 years old will be banned from registering in other associations to play World Championships and World Cup, unless they have been resident there.

For those aged 18 to 20 who register for the second association, they will have to wait for seven years before they represent their adopted countries or regions, and five years of waiting for 15-18 year-olds and three years for under 15-year-olds.

The new rule, which starts from September 1 this year, will not apply to the already switched players, as Sharara said "those already representing some countries can continue to represent".

Hong Kong's top male paddler Li Ching, who used to be a member of the Chinese national team, did not care about the ban.

"That's a political game. I don't think it's anything to do with me," he said.

And China has always been in favor of the proposal.

"Table tennis can benefit more from limiting the overseas players," said Yao Zhenxu, table tennis director of the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"As I know, all the three board members from China - Cai Zhenhua, Yang Shu'an and I voted in favor of the proposal," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2008)