Intense heat in the championship final causes court to cool down
In a heated final for the women's table tennis Bundesliga, the TTC Berlin Eastside team faced off against TTC 1946 Weinheim. However, the match was marred by controversy due to the scorching conditions in the Weinheim hall, which reached up to 38.8 degrees Celsius on June 29th.
The Berlin team, led by manager Andreas Hain, claimed that the playing conditions were health-endangering and refused to continue the game after the opening doubles at a score of 0:2. They had lodged a protest before the game, warning they would not continue playing if the temperature continued to rise. Despite their concerns, the sports court of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) rejected the protest, and the match referee decided that the scoring of the second final match would remain in place.
The championship title for women's table tennis remains with TTC 1946 Weinheim, with a final score of 6:3 in their favour. The original scoring of 6:0 for Weinheim remains unchanged.
Andreas Hain criticised the decision, stating that a game should never start under such conditions. One of the players, Josi Neumann, expressed similar concerns, stating she might collapse if the game went on for another half hour.
The Berlin team's loss prevented them from achieving the Triple, as they had already won the cup and the Champions League. The team now has two weeks to appeal the decision within the DTTB.
It is worth noting that there are no explicit, up-to-date official temperature limits for table tennis matches in Germany or Europe. The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) regulations regarding temperature limits are not clear from the search data.
Professional European table tennis clubs like GV Hennebont maintain comfortable indoor temperatures even during hot weather, emphasising player and spectator comfort without noting formal temperature limits. The conditions were deemed the same for both teams by the sports court.
Sources:
[1] European Table Tennis Union regulations [2] German Table Tennis Federation regulations [3] GV Hennebont indoor temperature maintenance [4] "Tagesspiegel" report on the Berlin Eastside protest and rejection
The TTC Berlin Eastside team expressed their concerns about the playing conditions in the table tennis final, as the scorching temperatures exceeded 38.8 degrees Celsius, deeming it health-endangering. Despite their protest and refusal to continue, the sports court and the match referee allowed the game to proceed, enabling TTC 1946 Weinheim to secure the championship title in women's table tennis.
