ITTF Proposal to allow only authorized paddles

Information gleaned from the USATT forum and the About.com forum:

Proposed by the Equipment Committee
To insert a new paragraph :
3.2.1.4 The blade shall be of a brand and type authorized by the ITTF and the brand and the ITTF logo shall be clearly visible.
Remark: The implementation time to be determined by the Executive Committee

The opinions of the posters on these two forums is overwhelmingly against the proposal. Here are some of the main concerns:

• Will present paddles be illegal?
• If not, do we all have to buy new paddles?
• Will custom (one of a kind) paddles be legal?
• Is this going to put small manufacturers out of business?
• Will manufacturers drop models frequently so you have to buy a new legal paddle?
• Why will ITTF enforce the 85% wood minimum?
• Finally: Destructive testing will be used according to ITTF.

Summary by Hermann Luechinger