Yellow and Red Cards in Table Tennis

Table Tennis Knowledge: Yellow and Red Cards in Ping Pong Matches

As we all know, football is a world sport, so many players know the rules of football very well and know that football has yellow cards and red cards.

If you want to learn more about the rules of table tennis, you can click here.

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However, many table tennis players feel surprised when they watch a table tennis match and see the referee show a yellow and red card.

In fact, this is normal, because there are also yellow and red cards in table tennis matches, which conform to the rules of table tennis.

In the past, there were no yellow or red cards in the table tennis competition. Because there was a consensus that athletes in this competition would not have direct physical contact.

However, with the development of table tennis, people have discovered that there will be various unreasonable phenomena without physical contact.

For example, some athletes stomped their feet, screamed to disturb the opponent, and did not obey the referee.

As a result, the yellow and red cards system began to be implemented in table tennis competitions.

The “Regulations of International Competitions” from ITTF has made specific provisions on the yellow and red cards:

• If an athlete deliberately influences his opponent, delays the game, intentionally damages equipment, offends the audience, or abuses the referee. The referee will first warn the athlete. (Rule 3.4.1.5)

• After being warned, if the athlete commits another foul, the referee will show him/her a yellow card and a red card at the same time and award the opponent one point. (Rule 3.5.2.3)

• For the second foul by the athlete, the referee may award the opponent two points and show both a yellow card and a red card at the same time. (Rule 3.5.2.3)

• If the athlete continues to offend or seriously offend at any time, the referee may interrupt the game and report to the chief referee. The chief referee shall show a red card when disqualifying an athlete from the competition. (Rule 3.5.2.2)

• If an athlete is shown a red card by the referee twice in a team or individual event, he will automatically be disqualified from participating in the team or individual event. (Rule 3.5.2.3)

• If off-court coaches do not have the status of a legal coach, or coach players outside the specified time, they will also be warned by the referee. A yellow card should be shown for formal warnings, and a red card should be shown for expelling coaches from the competition zone. (Rule 3.5.1.3)

The yellow and red cards shown in table tennis games are not as frequent as in football games.

The mostly showing for the players intentionally stalling, referees not serving the ball after 3 times.

It’s not as fierce as the foul action of a football player, so the audience pays little attention to the cards of the table tennis match.

After all, the yellow cards and red cards in table tennis regulate the behavior of athletes and coaches and play an important role in ensuring the health of the game.

The improvement of some rules is to make the game better!

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The International Table Tennis Federation Handbook

The following content is selected from ITTF handbook:

https://documents.ittf.sport/sites/default/files/public/2021-08/2021ITTFHandbook_v2_clean_version_1.pdf

3.5.1.2 In an individual event, a player or pair may receive advice only from one person, designated beforehand to the umpire, except that where the players of a doubles pair are from different Associations each may designate an adviser, but with regard to 3.5.1 and 3.5.2 these two advisers shall be treated as a unit; if an unauthorised person gives advice the umpire shall hold up a red card and send him or her away from the playing area.

3.5.1.3 Players may receive advice at any time except during rallies provided play is not thereby delayed (3.4.4.1); if any authorised person gives advice illegally the umpire shall hold up a yellow card to warn him or her that any further such offence will result in his or her dismissal from the playing area.

3.5.1.4 After a warning has been given, if in the same team match or the same match of an individual event anyone again gives advice illegally, the umpire shall hold up a red card and send him or her away from the playing area, whether or not he or she was the person warned.

3.5.2.2 If at any time a player, a coach or another adviser commits a serious offence the umpire shall suspend play and report immediately to the referee; for less serious offences the umpire may, on the first occasion, hold up a yellow card and warn the offender that any further offence is liable to incur penalties.

3.5.2.3 Except as provided in 3.5.2.2 and 3.5.2.5, if a player who has been warned commits a second offence in the same individual match or team match, the umpire shall award 1 point to the offender’s opponent and for a further offence he or she shall award 2 points, each time holding up a yellow and a red card together.

3.5.2.7 Except as provided in 3.5.2.2, if a coach or another adviser who has been warned commits a further offence in the same individual match or team match, the umpire shall hold up a red card and send him or her away from the playing area until the end of the team match or, in an individual event, of the individual match.

3.5.2.8 The referee shall have power to disqualify a player from a match, an event or a competition for seriously unfair or offensive behaviour, whether reported by the umpire or not; as he or she does so he or she shall hold up a red card; for less serious offenses which do not justify disqualification, the referee may decide to report such an offense to the ITTF Integrity Unit.