Khaled El-Salhy has thanked South Korea for hosting a world championship of the highest calibre. He believes that the Busan tournament is the ultimate litmus test ahead of next month's African Games in Ghana. 

He also urged African teams to take part. "I would like to congratulate the Korea Table Tennis Association and its President, Mr Ryu Seung-min, for the remarkable success of the WTTC 2024 World Championships in Busan. For the first time in a long time we had strong competition from France and South Korea against China," he said.

The African confederation chief added that it was "good preparation for African teams ahead of the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, next week". The African delegation praised the organisation and quality of the tournament.

It was the 57th edition of the World Table Tennis Championships and Busan proved to be a reliable choice in terms of organisation. China won its 11th consecutive men's world title after beating France 3-0 in the Europeans first appearance in the final since 1997. South Korea and Chinese Taipei completed the podium. 

In the women's tournament in Busan, China won their sixth consecutive title after beating Japan 3-2 in a thrilling final. France and Hong Kong shared the bronze medal.

ITTF Vice Presidents Wahid Oshodi and Alaa Meshref said: "The Koreans have set a new standard that can serve as a benchmark for the organisation of future world-class table tennis tournaments."

Oshodi also praised the work done under the leadership of Olympic medallist Ryu Seung-min. He said that he had managed to put together a good team to ensure that everything ran smoothly. "I have to admit that we have just seen what the Koreans are capable of in Busan," he stressed.

"They have shown quality and sophistication in organising their first World Cup. I must commend everyone involved in the event. I hope we can continue to raise the level of our sport with what South Korea has just done in Busan," added Oshodi.

African Table Tennis Federation (ATTF) vice-presidents Alfred Bagueka Assobo, Alfred Germain Karou and Andrew Mudibo also had their say on the tournament in terms of sport, infrastructure and volunteerism. 

 "The upcoming championships in Doha should be out of this world. Korea has already set the stage and the standards," said Mudibo, clearly alluding to the difficulty of surpassing the bar, although it will be possible to follow the path set by the Koreans.

The President of the South African Table Tennis Board, Joe Carrim, echoed the same sentiments, noting the excellent Wdone by the "firm but friendly and knowledgeable volunteers". 

The various delegations were unanimous about the success of the Busan World Championships, as the President of the Ethiopian Table Tennis Federation, Tesfaye Bizane, or the Vice-President of the Nigerian Table Tennis Federation, Adesoji Tayo, declared: "This is a first class organisation". "It was well planned and organised," said Chabeli Mohatlane, President of the Lesotho Table Tennis Association.