ITTF 'troubled' by reported harassment of Taiwan player at U.K. tourney

London/Taipei, May 4 (CNA) The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has expressed concern and opened an investigation after a Taiwanese athlete was allegedly inappropriately touched by security personnel at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London.

In a statement issued Saturday, the ITTF, World Table Tennis (WTT) and the local organizing committee said they were "deeply troubled by the account of a female athlete who reported experiencing inappropriate physical contact during an entry security check" earlier that day.

"What has been described is completely unacceptable. We want to be absolutely clear: the safety and dignity of our athletes are non-negotiable," the statement said.

The organizations said they had been in contact with the athlete's team to provide assistance and had opened a "comprehensive fact-finding and safeguarding investigation" into the incident.

While stringent entry protocols are necessary given the United Kingdom's heightened security threat levels, such protocols must be executed "professionally and appropriately," the organizers said, adding that they would not tolerate any conduct that compromises athletes' well-being.

The ITTF's statement was issued after Taiwan coach Zheng Jiaqi (鄭佳奇) said in a social media post that one of the team's players had been sexually harassed and blocked from entering the tournament venue before the team's 3-1 victory over South Korea on Saturday.

Zheng said the team had reported the incident and asked that tournament organizers "give a clear response" and provide updates on the investigation's findings.

The U.K. raised its terrorism threat level from "substantial" to "severe" on April 30, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London a day earlier.

A "severe" threat level is the second-highest in the five-tier system used in the U.K., and indicates that a terror attack is considered "highly likely."

The ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals are being held at the Copper Box Arena and Wembley Arena in Greater London from April 28 through May 10.