Timo Boll has alleged that 80 per cent of international players are using illegal rackets ©Getty Images

International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) President Thomas Weikert has dismissed suggestions that a large number of top players are cheating by using illegal rubber on their rackets.

Germany's Timo Boll, a compatriot of Weikert, alleged to German media that about "80 per cent" of international players were breaching ITTF rules.

"The rubbers are treated with chemicals to increase the catapult effect when hitting," said Boll, a double Olympic medallist, to Frankfurter Allgemeine.

"This applies not only for the Chinese players, but for Europeans and other Asians too.

"In order to prove this, the rubber has to be removed from the racket and sent to the lab.

"That's what I am encouraging since long ago.

"But the ITTF considers this unreasonable. "

ITTF President Thomas Weikert has played down Boll's allegations ©Getty Images
ITTF President Thomas Weikert has played down Boll's allegations ©Getty Images

The 34-year-old Boll, winner of silver and bronze medals in the team competitions at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 respectively, also has 16 European Championship gold medals in his collection.

Weikert, however, dismissed his fellow countryman's suggestions and believes there is no problem within his sport.

"The ITTF has comprehensive racket testing procedures in place to ensure that everyone is on a level playing field," he told Chinese news agency Xinhua. 

"Timo is allowed to have an opinion on this issue, but I am confident that our testing procedures are doing the job to prevent boosting."