Weikert was elected 12th President of the DTTB at its General Assembly in June 2005, but will relinquish the role on March 10 after nearly 10 years in office.

The 53-year-old lawyer plans to concentrate on his role as President of the ITTF, having officially succeeded Canada's Adham Sharara on September 1 2014.

"I had hoped to fulfil both functions until the [ITTF] elections in 2017," said Weikert.

"However, I saw this step as mandatory to focus only on my role as President of the International Table Tennis Federation."

During Weikert's tenure, Germany has enjoyed success at the Olympic Games and the World and European Championships.

It has also been the focal point of world-class events, including the 2006 World Team Championships in Bremen and the 2012 edition in Dortmund, as well as the 2009 European Championships in Stuttgart. 

Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov won two bronze medals at London 2012 during Thomas Weikert's tenure as President of the DTTB ©Getty Images







Dimitrij Ovtcharov claimed an Olympic bronze medal in the men's singles competition at London 2012 and was also part of the bronze medal-winning men's team, which also included Timo Boll and Bastian Steger.

Four years earlier at Beijing 2008, Christian Suss formed a silver-medal winning trio with Ovtcharov and Boll in the men's team event.

Weikert, only the seventh person to head the ITTF since 1937, will be succeeded by compatriot Michael Geiger as interim President of the DTTB until elections are held in November.

Geiger, 49, is currently the DTTB vice-president of finance.

Stepping up from his position as ITTF Deputy President in September, Weikert said he wants to expand the sport of table tennis to every corner of the globe.

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