The Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) has canceled the Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships originally slated for Pyongyang this June.
On Tuesday, the Korea Table Tennis Association informed News1 that the ATTU Executive Committee has decided to withdraw North Korea’s hosting rights for the 2026 Asian Youth Championships.
North Korea had previously won the bid to host the Asian Youth Championships at the ATTU General Assembly in Astana, Kazakhstan, in October 2024.
With the revocation of these rights, the opportunity for promising South Korean table tennis players to compete in Pyongyang has now vanished.
The ATTU cited North Korea’s delays in visa issuance and logistical challenges related to international air travel as the primary reasons for their decision.
Last month, six months before the scheduled event, the ATTU attempted to conduct an on-site inspection in Pyongyang to evaluate the venue and surrounding facilities. However, North Korea refused to grant visas to the officials. This cooperation is a mandatory requirement for the host country, yet North Korea remained uncooperative.
Despite this setback, North Korean table tennis will not face any penalties due to the revocation. The Korea Table Tennis Association stated that the ATTU has left the door open for North Korea to regain hosting rights if they address the organizational and logistical shortcomings in the future. Furthermore, if North Korea expresses interest in hosting the next tournament, the ATTU may consider prioritizing their bid.
In the meantime, with the June venue now uncertain, the ATTU plans to convene an Executive Committee meeting to select an alternative host site, in accordance with their regulations.