OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Table tennis rule or law ? I have just done my Umpiring course and I raised a question about what players can take with them to a court?
normally there is a towel box or a area on the surround and or under the table
then a place for a drink in the towel box or just out of court if it is some organised tournament

but my question is can players take a rubber cleaner/ substance /sponge to their towel box or other provided close place? and use such cleaner between games?

I'm asking because I asked a International Umpire and he did not see a problem
It is just that I have seen two people in my life doing it and one was at a World Veteran competition

Is there a place in the laws and rules of Table tennis or handbooks where I can fund the information

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
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I don't recall any tournament rules regarding what personal items are/are not allowed in the playing area other than local rules.

Keep in mind that there are rules around modifying the racket covering. No idea how you can prove that they are wiping with anything other than water. And that an umpire can pull them up if they are wetting the rubber on purpose and not 'cleaning' it.
Also, that a player can't take their racket with them during intervals. So you can't take it to the player corner and start wiping it down. I guess you can wipe it down at the table though.

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Shih Tzu

NEW RUBBER MASS INDEX || OLD RUBBER MASS INDEX

Yes I have never known others to take cleaners with them into official games apart from these two players
where is the rule about leaving the drink bottle outside the court

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

I don't think that's actually a rule - it's just that there is little point of taking the bottle to the towel box as you can't have a drink between points or at the 6p towel down - during a tournament match the player would be chatting to the coach in the timeout and between game interval.

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Shih Tzu

NEW RUBBER MASS INDEX || OLD RUBBER MASS INDEX

both of the players were Australian, Ive just never seen it before for international competition

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

Where is Retriever when you need him?

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dodgy aussies.

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Shih Tzu

NEW RUBBER MASS INDEX || OLD RUBBER MASS INDEX

The International umpire who saw no problem was a Aussie as well hahaha

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Blade Ulmo Duality| FH Tibhar mx-p Black, Dawei 388D-1 red OX
NZ table tennis selector, ask a question
My Blog here..How table tennis objects are made
Table Tennis abbreviations, and acronyms

I don't know, either. I could ask an (Aussie ) International Referee.

The usual that I have seen is the player brings themselves, their bat (other labels available - racket, racquet, paddle) and a towel.

I can't remember much else apart from perhaps a microfibre or similar cloth to wipe their glasses if they end up making a spectacle of themselves - either sweat or fog (or Cloud and Fog?) on the two Lens.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

Wow. I always thought those rules had to do with the likes of bat dope, er, booster, and the likes of UV lamps and Armor-all, rather than cleaning the surface. This does seem a little extreme to me.

Iskandar

nah it's all the same - the intention to use the rubber as designed by the mfg - and not treating it to change the properties.

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Shih Tzu

NEW RUBBER MASS INDEX || OLD RUBBER MASS INDEX

That's why the old spinmax became Spinmax Aqueous Cleaner. Emphasis on aqueous to make it clear it complied with the ittf requirements.

I asked the International Referee last night. He said that taking rubber cleaning stuff to the towel box is not allowed, without having to think about it.

His reasoning was that since any rubber cleaning substances are illegal under the "altering the characteristics of the rubber", so taking them to the playing area and using them would be covered by this. The most that players can do in the playing area is breathe on the rubber or possibly use either saliva or water from their water bottle and dry it on their towel or clothing.

Having said that, he himself does not deny using rubber cleaning products outside of the playing area before or after matches.

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74

Debater wrote:


Yes, that was because of the level of VOCs from the rubber being measured and a limit enforced at ITTF and some other tournaments. Then the ITTF outlawed changing the characteristics of the rubber which covers Spinmax Aqueous, the foams and anything pretty much other than water (and we all know the horrors of di-hydrogen monoxide, don't we, kids), as well as the boosters not applied as part of the rubber manufacturing process. (tin of worms reopened yet again ... 3 ... 2 ... 1).

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Retriever (sometimes golden, but often leaden)
Moderator, Inverted Retriever Technique sub-forum - http://ooakforum.com/viewforum.php?f=74