It followed a successful presentation at a Board of Directors meeting here.

The world's best under-18 athletes are expected to compete at the event, taking place at the newly renovated Bendigo Stadium in the Victoria state city from December 2 to 9 next year.

It will mark the first time the showpiece ITTF junior event has taken place in Oceania since it was first held in 2003,

Tomokazu Harimoto, the 13-year-old Japanese sensation who is though to the last 16 of the men's singles draw at the ongoing senior level ITTF World Championships here, is a likely entry.

He beat South Korea's Cho Seung-min to win gold and become the youngest ever junior world champion at last year's event in Cape Town.

It will follow this year's World Junior Championships in Riva del Gardo, Italy, from November 26 until December 3.

Bendigo lies around 90 miles north-west of Victoria state capital Melbourne.

It also hosted the 2016 Oceania Junior and Cadet Championships

The city is also playing host to a Summer Youth Olympic Games Continental Qualification Tournament on November 11 and 12 this year.

Australia will also host a major table tennis competition next year at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast from April 4 to 15.

It comes as the ITTF also announced a new "strategic partnership" with Chinese news and social media giant Sina.

This will involved the running of a Chinese version of the ITTF website as well as enhancing social media promotion on social media site Sina Weibo.

China, the world's dominant table tennis nation, is seen as the foremost market for the commercial growth of the world governing body.