Translation:
Beijing time on December 31st, a heartbreaking moment unfolded as Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng were not only removed from the WTT World Table Tennis League but also had their avatars deleted. Were they in such a rush to act?
After much anticipation, amidst significant controversy, the WTT announced the world rankings for the 53rd week, which also marked the last issue of the 2024 annual rankings. Surprisingly, this ranking no longer included the names of Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Chen Meng, as they were directly expelled from the new rankings.
With the disappearance of "Little Fatty" (Fan Zhendong) and "Big Dream" (Chen Meng), the Chinese national table tennis team now appears incredibly lonely in the top five men's singles rankings. For the first time, there are only two Chinese players in the top five: Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong. Following them are Tomokazu Harimoto, Lubren, and Hugo Calderano, and that's it.
The women's team is no longer dominated by the "Five Golden Flowers," with the top four spots now occupied by Chinese players, followed by four Japanese players. For the first time, the number of Japanese players has caught up with the national team. These two were so abruptly removed from the world rankings that they can't even be seen anymore.
What's even more astonishing is that not only were their names excluded, but according to WTT sources, they even deleted Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng's avatars. Was it necessary to act so quickly? The avatars of these two newly crowned Olympic champions have now been removed. On the WTT official website, Chen Meng's avatar is gone, and Fan Zhendong's avatar is also missing. Their names were deleted, and now their avatars have been removed as well. What is the intention behind this extreme action?
Regardless, these two are also newly crowned Olympic champions. Now, simply announcing their withdrawal from the rankings would suffice. Why do you need to delete their avatars? The world of table tennis holds great respect for these two Olympic champions. By deleting their avatars like this, is it respectful or fair to Chen Meng and Fan Zhendong?
From France, the Lubrun brothers, Simon Gauzy, African table tennis king Aruna, and American mixed doubles ace Kanak, who once partnered with Wang Manyu, are all supporting him. Foreign associations are rallying behind Fan Zhendong's statement about withdrawing from the rankings, and they are responding in this manner. This time, the International Table Tennis Federation has really gone too far. As for Chen Meng, let's not forget that without Fan Zhendong at this year's Paris Olympics, the men's singles gold medal for the national team would be completely lost. The national team should also support and stand behind Little Fatty.