The ITTF Foundation is the social responsibility arm of the ITTF, with the foundation’s primary aim to use table tennis to promote development and peace.

The ITTF Foundation's slogan is "Solidarity through Table Tennis" and features a series of programmes.

This includes TT4All, TT Legacy, TT4Health, TT Dream Building and Ping Pong Diplomacy.

Princess Zeina is now set to join the ITTF Foundation Board to help support the projects.

"Table tennis was my gateway into competitive sport, my career, my passion," said Princess Zeina, who represented Jordan in table tennis at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

"I am excited to have the opportunity to give back to the sport that has set my life on its current trajectory.

"Sport is a great unifying and equalising force and it is a privilege to join the ITTF Foundation, which works every day to further this message by supporting and bringing communities together through table tennis."

Princess Zeina currently sits on the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) as a member of the Board of Directors.

She is also in charge of the programme "20 for Tokyo 2020", a plan put in place by the JOC with the goal of having 20 athletes from the Middle East nation qualify for Tokyo.

ITTF Deputy President Khalil Al-Mohannadi had initiated the discussions to bring Princess Zeina on board.

The ITTF Executive Committee unanimously agreed to the proposal, the governing body said.

"We are delighted to be welcoming Her Royal Highness Princess Zeina Rashid to the ITTF family," said Al-Mohannadi.

"A distinguished personality with a highly impressive reputation in the sports industry, we are very much looking forward to working with her, as her fresh input will be for the benefit of our sport.

"We need young leaders, we need female leaders, and we need leaders from different regions of the world.

"We believe that Her Royal Highness’s contribution to our sport and her commitment to the ITTF Foundation will generate an immensely positive impact and will inspire the entire table tennis community worldwide."

The ITTF Foundation Governing Board currently includes ITTF President Thomas Weikert, chief executive Steven Dainton, ITTF Vice President in charge of development Bruce Burton and Leandro Olvech, the foundation’s director.

"Her Royal Highness Princess Zeina Rashid joins us with a wealth of experience in both fields of competitive sports and sports development, putting her in a prime position to assess which goals we are pursuing and which projects we want to implement in order to take table tennis to ambitious new heights," Weikert said.

“We are therefore delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness on board, certain that she will offer an invaluable contribution to our sport."

The ITTF Foundation has overseen the #TableTennisUnited fundraising campaign for athletes, coaches, umpires, national associations and projects affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation campaign has received support from the ITTF and World Table Tennis (WTT), with both organisations donating more than $250,000 (£191,000/€212,000) to the fund.

It was set up to help in a number of key areas following the suspension of sport due to the coronavirus outbreak.