Before you dismiss me as crazy, please just hear me out & by all means correct me if I am mistaken.
The Tibhar Dtec OX Rubber used by Manika Batra , Sreeja Akula & Yashaswini Ghorpade etc. has been de-approved by ITTF as of the January 2025 LARC
Many other popular rubbers such as Feint Long 2 & 3 OX , TSP Curl P1r , Victas Curl P1v have also been de-approved
I never continued to umpire long ago after I got my Regional USATT umpire certification (level 2 above club umpire & below national umpire). So if I pay my recertification fees I could still be asked to umpire in that capacity TODAY.
I would face a dilemma then if I am to umpire TODAY. Because as it stands today, according to the latest ITTF LARC , there are no LARC approved OX rubbers that can be used in an ITTF (or affiliate) sanctioned tournament.
Now I fully understand that Rule 2.4.3 allows for OX rubbers are allowed
But obviously not every OX rubber is approved. Only the OX rubbers that are listed on the latest LARC are allowed in ITTF (or affiliate) sanctioned tournaments.
Any rubber that was approved in previous LARC , however famous or how widely it was used (as was the case of Feint Long Classic) could easily become de-approved in the latest version of LARC. So just because Rule 2.4.3 says OX rubbers are approved, it by no means implies that any OX rubber is approved. ONLY the OX rubbers that are listed as approved in the latest LARC are allowed
But in the latest LARC as of January 1, 2025 , all OX rubbers have been de-approved. Why. Just take a look & figure it out for yourself.
I am told it could be a mistake. Fine . That is possible. But as an umpire what am I supposed to do ? My hands are tied. Make up my own rules on the fly & allow OX rubbers to be used . I cannot do that.
For an umpire / referee I would tend to think the LARC is as sacred a document as the Rule Book .
So as an umpire if I am umpiring a USATT tournament today , I cannot allow any rubber that is OX version of a given brand because the LARC explicitly prohibits the use of such rubbers.
Please advise.
Because if it is indeed a mistake, when & if they would be corrected is not really my problem, because as an umpire you & I are duty bound to enforce the ITTF rules as they exist TODAY if you are umpiring an ITTF (or affiliate such as USATT) sanctioned tournament.
I just checked the ITTF LARC before posting this (January 6, 2025) & it still says no OX rubbers is approved.
There are of course other serious mistakes issues with the LARC but I won’t get into that
