TTFI announces equal prize money for men and women paddlers

Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) announced on Thursday "gender equality" in prize money payments to men and women TT players from new season onwards. The upcoming season will run from June to March 2023.

The three-member committee, headed by retired Delhi High Court chief justice Gita Mittal, expressed "deep concern over the discriminatory treatment meted out to women and girl players in table tennis in the context of award of prize money and payments" and decided that "hereby women and girl players shall receive equal pay/awards/prize money as their male counterparts in all tournaments and competitions of the game of table tennis". At the 83rd senior national and inter-state table tennis championships, held between April 18-25, 2021 in Shillong, the men's singles champion had received the winner's cheque of Rs 275,000, while the women's singles winner had taken home a pay cheque of Rs 180,000.

Similarly, the men's singles losing finalist had pocketed Rs 137,500 in prize money, while the women's singles runner-up had got Rs 90,000. The two men's singles semifinalists were awarded Rs 68,500 each, while the women semifinalists received 45,000 each.

The losing men's quarterfinalists took home Rs 27,500 each and women's Rs 22,000 each. The CoA, in its decision, stated that during the Nationals in Shillong, the difference in payments in the singles events came to the fore, which "is disconcerting because the effort needed, proficiency and skills required as well as the level of competition in a girls' game, is in no way lesser than that exhibited in a men's or boys' game".

The equal prize money distribution to players will be applicable at the senior, sub-junior and cadet level, as well as the ranking tournaments. The