Saive, who was narrowly beaten by Germany's Thomas Weikert in last year's ITTF Presidential election, received 136 votes to lead nominations.

The former world number one, who is still a member of the Belgium squad for the ongoing World Team Championships in Halmstad at the age of 48, is also a former chair of the European Olympic Committees' Athletes' Commission.

He will be joined on the new panel by two other re-elected top former players.

They are China's three-time former world singles champion Wang Liqin, who managed 102 votes, and Croatia's Zoran Primarac, a men's doubles Olympic silver medallist for Yugoslavia at Seoul 1988, with 96 votes.

Spain's Galia Dvorak is the only female contender who was elected to the panel with 107 votes, the second highest total.

Mexico's Marcos Madrid was also successfully added with 103 votes.

The results were confirmed in a letter to the membership sent out by ITTF secretary general Raul Calin, and seen by insidethegames, but they have not yet been posted on the governing body's website.

Twenty-one athletes were standing for the Athletes' Commission, with their colleagues casting votes during the World Team Championships.

South Korea's Ryu Seung-min will also automatically serve on the panel by virtue of being a member of the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission.

The remaining members will consist of two elected in October at the 2018 World Para Table Tennis Championships in Lasko, Slovenia, as well as three nominated by the ITTF Executive Committee and a further two elected by the Athletes' Commission.

Belarus' Vladimir Samsonov is the current ITTF Athletes' Commission chair. 

A new chair is expected to be chosen by the members - subject to Executive Committee approval - once the membership is complete.