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London, May 3 (IANS) The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) vowed to further protect athletes after a female athlete reported "inappropriate physical contact" during an entry security check at the World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals.

A statement issued on Saturday said the ITTF, World Table Tennis and local organizers were "deeply troubled" by the claim.

"Every athlete deserves to feel safe, respected, and protected at all times and in all spaces. What has been described is completely unacceptable. We want to be absolutely clear: the safety and dignity of our athletes are non-negotiable.

"The ITTF, WTT and Locl Organising Committee have been in direct contact with the athlete’s team and are committed to ensuring she receives the full assistance and support she needs," it said.

The ITTF added that a comprehensive fact-finding and safeguarding investigation is currently underway.

"No party involved in the organisation of this event will tolerate any conduct that compromises the wellbeing of athletes, and we expect this matter to be treated with the full seriousness it deserves. ITTF, WTT, the LOC are working through a comprehensive review of the situation," the table tennis world governing body said.

"We are dedicated to working to ensure the fundamental dignity of all participants is protected and that measures are in place to prevent any recurrence of such incidents," it added.

In a social media post earlier on Saturday, Zheng Jiaqi, coach of Chinese Taipei women's team, said that "an extremely serious and unacceptable incident occurred during the pre-match security check."

"A member of the security staff engaged in inappropriate physical contact with our player, including behavior that may constitute sexual harassment, and obstructed the player's passage," Zheng posted.

The London World Team Table Tennis Championships runs through May 10.

--IANS

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