ITTF President Thomas Weikert met Ahmed Marzooq, secretary general of the Maldives Olympic Committee, during a visit to the capital Male ©Maldives Olympic Committee

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President Thomas Weikert has become the first head of an International Federation to visit the Maldives Olympic Committee (MOC), with discussions over boosting the sport on the island nation.

He met several officials, including the Maldvies' Minister of Sport Ahmed Mahloof, Tourism Minister Ali Waheed and Ali Rasheed, President of the Table Tennis Association of the Maldives (TTAM), where the main topic was about development in the smallest country in Asia.

The Maldives have become prominent in recent years for promoting young table tennis players, with 10-year-old Fathimath Dheema Ali playing at the 2018 World Team Championships alongside her team-mate Mueena Mohamed, who was more than three times the age of the youngster. 

Thomas Weikert is the first President of an International Federation to visit the Maldives Olympic Committee ©ITTF
Thomas Weikert is the first President of an International Federation to visit the Maldives Olympic Committee ©ITTF

Their third team-mate, Aishath Rafa Nazim, would often be the youngest in most competitions at just 14 years old, with the three being a combined age of 59. 

In addition, Weikert also met Ahmed Marzooq, secretary general of the MOC, who praised the work of the TTAM for their recent performances and claimed that the ITTF's assistance in developing the sport would "highly benefit" the Maldives.

The Maldvies women’s team won the bronze medal at the South Asian Games in Kathmandu and Pokhara in Nepal, last December.