Changes are being considered to materials used in table tennis bats ©Getty Images

A "study and review" of materials used in table tennis rackets is due to take place and could lead to the abolition of a rule specifying that 85 per cent of the bat must be made from wood.

It has been billed as a shift away from wooden rackets, along similar lines to historical changes in the sports of badminton, squash and tennis.

Other carbon fibre, plastic or metal materials could be considered.

This was among decisions made here today at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Annual General Meeting.

A proposal, spearheaded by Hong Kong and South Korea, initially sought for a change to the ITTF constitution by scrapping the 85 per cent wood rule.

Instead, a new clause was proposed stipulating that "the blade shall be made of one or more layers of natural wood or other solid materials, without cavities and not compressible".

This was introduced in the "spirit of innovation", as well as to reduce costs by using a cheaper material.

It failed to gain the 75 per cent majority required for a constitutional change, even when following the edition of an extra clause ruling that the existing rule would be maintained until after the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

A separate "resolution D" was then put forward for research rather than a firm proposal.

It easily passed the required 50 per cent simple majority, receiving 151 of 186 votes cast.

A proposed change to wooden rackets was discussed at the ITTF Annual General Meeting ©Getty Images
A proposed change to wooden rackets was discussed at the ITTF Annual General Meeting ©Getty Images

The ITTF are now expected to set up some sort of Commission or Working Group to explore potential changes before reporting back at a future AGM.

In table tennis, a rubber sponge glued on to the blade is changed on a daily basis by top players.

Blades last far longer, sometimes for six months to a year, but also require changing.

It is thus far more expensive to buy rackets in table tennis than for similar equipment in other sports.

There are currently no restrictions on materials in badminton, squash or tennis.

All three sports originally used wooden rackets, although, unlike in table tennis, a stringed rather than a wooden surface has always been the only part making contact with the ball or shuttlecock.

Bats in table tennis were originally completely wooden until Hiroji Satoh used a sponge rubber to win the men's singles title at the 1952 World Championships in Bombay. 

Since 2011, an annual World Championship of Ping Pong headed by English sports promoter Barry Hearn has taken place using old fashioned wooden bats covered with sandpaper to encourage slower and longer rallies.

The most recent significant bat rule change introduced by the ITTF in table tennis concerns the banning of "speed glue" being applied to sponges after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.