The new position will come into effect on September 1, when Sharara steps down as President after 15 years.

It is an "independent and non-political position" without any voting or decision-making power.

Eighty per cent of delegates at the ITTF's Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the Japanese capital voted in favour of creating the position of chairman, with 90 per cent voting Sharara into the post.

As exclusively revealed by insidethegames earlier this week, Sharara sought election as chairman to, among other goals, help generate increased competition to Chinese dominance in the sport.

The 61-year-old Canadian, who was born in the Egyptian capital Cairo, will chair future AGMs as chairman.

"I am very happy with the outcome," said Sharara.

"This new position is very well suited to me at this stage, and I will have the time to contribute efficiently in special focus areas needed for the further development of the ITTF.

"The new plan is designed to move table tennis into the top five sports in the world."

Chinese players, including world champion Li Xiaoxia, have enjoyed table tennis dominance in recent years ©AFP/Getty Images



Speaking earlier this week of China's dominance in the game he said: "I intend to take time out from the ITTF Presidency by retiring this September and spending more time independently to help Europe and other parts of the world to rise and challenge the Chinese dominance.

"I believe that this will generate a lot of interest in our sport and will make for a healthier balance.

"Of course the Chinese deserve the results they are getting because of their very hard work and dedication to excellence.

"But at the same time to make any sport interesting we need a rivalry and unpredictable results.

"It will take time, but eventually it will happen."

According to the ITTF constitution, deputy President Thomas Weikert will succeed Sharara as President on September 1.

The German, who is also President of the German Table Tennis Association, said: "I am honored to be the next ITTF President.

"I have very big shoes to fill, as Adham has done a fantastic job growing the sport over the past 15 years.

"However, I am excited about the challenge and I am looking forward to building on the good work Adham has achieved in his Presidency."

Sharara has overseen a number of changes to the ITTF, including changing games from first to 21 points to first to 11 points, and increasing the size of the ball.

The AGM has been held during the ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, which began on Monday (April 28) and is due to end on May 5 in Tokyo.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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April 2014: Exclusive - Sharara to step down as ITTF President to deal with China crisis
May 2013: Sharara re-elected International Table Tennis Federation President