Trevor Wiramanaden will quit as chairman of the Sussex Table Tennis Association at the annual meeting on July 28.
The East Grinstead based veteran, 61, will continue to play and help with administration.
He said: "I have decided to stand down and not seek re-election. I feel I am unable to make a valuable contribution to progress. On a personal level, I am not enjoying the job.
"My decision will give someone more suitable a chance to take over and help the county move forward in a positive direction. I am sorry if my announcement has caught people unawares."
The cancellation of this year's Sussex Open was a particular disappointment for Wiramanaden.
At last week's meeting he failed to get any response to a request for a second person to represent Sussex at the county championships conference in Birmingham.
County secretary Alan Beames, said: "We now have a very short time to find a new chairperson. It will not be easy. We are told that Devonshire have been running for two years without a chairman or a treasurer."
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