Recently, the impact of Olympic champion Fan Zhendong's announcement to withdraw from the world rankings has escalated. In response to the official response from WTT, Fan Zhendong posted a tough stance, which has sparked heated discussions and attention from fans and media.
We all know that the main reason Fan Zhendong announced his withdrawal from the world rankings is due to the new regulations introduced by WTT. Starting from 2025, players will be fined for not participating in competitions. Fan Zhendong mentioned in his announcement that he cannot accept the rule of being fined for not participating. So, is WTT's decision to fine non-participants reasonable? Many people believe it is not. According to statistics, if Fan Zhendong does not participate in any international events next year, he could face a maximum fine of about 890,000 yuan. However, even if he wins all the events, the highest prize money would only be around 3 million yuan.
Fan Zhendong also feels distressed, as he currently has no plans to fully return to competition. The new regulations from the International Table Tennis Federation are forcing him to continuously participate in events. But given his current mental state, he definitely cannot accept this. That's why Fan Zhendong announced his withdrawal from the world rankings. His actions have been supported by many excellent players from other associations. Players like Simon Gauzy and the Lebrun brothers from the French table tennis team, Sweden's Olympic silver medalist Mattias Falck, and Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov have all voiced their support on social media.
As an Olympic champion, Fan Zhendong's decision to withdraw from the world rankings has had a significant impact on the global table tennis scene. WTT has responded to Fan Zhendong's post, stating that the rule of fining non-participants is not new; it has been in place for four years. This contradicts Fan Zhendong's statement about new regulations, indicating that one side is lying. Who is lying? On December 29th, Fan Zhendong continued to post, exposing the lies of the other party.
Fan Zhendong reiterated that he had never received the rule of being fined for not participating until recently. Upon receiving the notice, he immediately signed and submitted it!
With differing statements from Fan Zhendong and WTT, who will the fans support? It must be Fan Zhendong. Why?
Firstly, WTT's official response seems too formal and lacks specific explanations. If the rule has existed for four years, why has it not been enforced? It feels like WTT is acting superior.
Secondly, Fan Zhendong's character is trustworthy! We all know that Fan Zhendong is a very loyal and straightforward person. If he had known long ago that he would be fined for withdrawing, he would not have responded in this manner. Moreover, CCTV Channel 13's "Oriental Horizon" program also reported on this incident, believing that the new regulations from WTT are controversial and that competitions should be centered around the athletes. It is clear that even CCTV is supporting Fan Zhendong!
With Fan Zhendong's announcement to withdraw from the world rankings, WTT has also lost face. The situation is still developing, and there may be new developments later. What will the final outcome be? Let's wait and see!