An exact venue for the tournament has not yet been announced by the WTT, established by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in 2019 and which now runs the governing body's commercial and events business.

The WTT has set the dates for the event, which the organisation likens to a Grand Slam in tennis or one of golf's majors, as March 7 to 20.

The Grand Smash had been due to launch in 2021 before being pushed back to this year.

"We are delighted to unveil the first part of our calendar," said ITTF chief executive and WTT director Steve Dainton.

"WTT was launched in 2021, but it will really come to life this year, and you will start seeing some of the new major competitions.

"While the pandemic is not over yet, we are well prepared and working hard to give our athletes opportunities to play and to keep the international event scene alive in this difficult period."

Oman's capital Muscat is scheduled to stage the first WTT Contender tournament from February 27 to March 5.

Following the Grand Smash in Asia, Doha in Qatar is due to host back-to-back competitions on the WTT circuit.

The Qatari capital has been selected to be the venue for a Contender from March 18 to 24 and a Star Contender from March 25 to 31.

The WTT has also announced it has signed a three-year broadcast deal with Eclat Media Group to cover Southeast Asia.

Eclat Media Group has secured exclusive rights for major table tennis events - including the World Table Tennis Championships - on SPOTV, its linear television channel and streaming platform.

"We are delighted to welcome SPOTV to the WTT family," said WTT senior media director Melissa Soobratty.

"Southeast Asia is a significant market for WTT, and we look forward to partnering with SPOTV to build a new era for table tennis in the region."