The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced on Monday that the Chinese cities of Weihai and Zhengzhou will host the upcoming #RESTART series in November.

The event series, which will represent the return of international table tennis after a coronavirus-forced hiatus since March, includes ITTF's three signature events – the Women's World Cup, Men's World Cup and Finals.

According to the ITTF, both the Women's World Cup (November 8-10) and Men's World Cup (November 13-15) will be held in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province.

With a 4,000-seat capacity, Weihai Nanhai Olympic Center will host the doubles events. The newly-opened venue is currently staging the 2020 China National Table Tennis Championships.

Zhengzhou, the host city of the 2019 ITTF Finals, will again serve the stage as the 2020 ITTF Finals will return to Zhengzhou Olympic Sports Center from November 19 to 22.

Following the steps of many sporting events already resumed in the past few months, the three international table tennis competitions will also be staged in a "bubble" format to provide the maximum safety for players and officials.

There is still no final say on whether spectators will be allowed inside the venues. 

(Cover image: Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin compete in the men's doubles final match at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province, December 15, 2019. /VCG)

(With input from agencies)