Result of table tennis governing body's disputed election in Qatar upheld on appeal

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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The disputed result of the International Table Tennis Federation’s presidential election that ended in chaos has been confirmed on appeal, the organization said Tuesday.

ITTF leader Petra Sörling of Sweden won a 104-102 vote against Qatar's Khalil al-Mohannadi in Doha in May, prompting a hostile reaction which led to the election meeting being stopped.

The Qatari candidate’s supporters claimed some member federations had been allowed to vote online without being authorized.

Amid a chaotic scene, the Swedish embassy in Qatar was contacted to help ensure Sörling could safely leave the country.

Appeals by Al-Mohannadi and Qatar’s table tennis federation to challenge the election result were dismissed in an urgent ruling by an ITTF-appointed tribunal of judges from Russia, Nigeria and Switzerland, who held a five-hour hearing last Thursday.

“Throughout the past months, the ITTF Tribunal hearing panel received extensive written submissions and supporting evidence from all parties,” including certification of the online votes, the governing body said.

Sörling, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee, was re-elected for a second four-year term in office leading table tennis.

The ITTF is due to hold a second election meeting in November to complete voting for other senior positions.

Al-Mohannadi can make a further appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

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