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Recently, the collective withdrawal from the world rankings by two Olympic champions, Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, has caused a stir in the table tennis world. In fact, not only Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng have withdrawn from the rankings, but also a more heavyweight player, Ma Long, who is regarded as the GOAT of the table tennis world. Moreover, it is said that Ma Long was the first of the three to withdraw from the rankings, although he did not publicly declare his withdrawal like Fan and Chen.
Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Chen Meng are of great influence and status in the world table tennis arena. Coupled with some deficiencies in WTT's participation regulations, this incident has gradually evolved into a game of wits and battles between top players and WTT. The situation seems to be escalating.
After a period of fermentation, seeing that neither side has shown any signs of "bowing," the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) finally decided to send an "envoy" for investigation. On the afternoon of January 3rd, the international table tennis world officially announced an important message: A special investigation team will be established to solve the series of problems raised by the players recently and conduct a comprehensive review of the existing regulations.
The members of this investigation team include: ITTF Athletes Committee Chairman Achtar, ITTF Executive Committee Vice Chairman Mieshifov; WTT Chief Event Officer Barsa, WTT Player Relations Director Sehweng. The decision of the ITTF is a positive response to the recent turmoil in the table tennis world, aiming to seek the root causes of the problems through official channels and lay the foundation for future standardized management.
It is worth mentioning that the list of members of this investigation team has attracted much attention. However, after careful examination of the list, it can be seen that Chinese table tennis veteran Liu Shiwen has not been included in the list of this investigation team. This arrangement has aroused widespread speculation and discussion from the outside world. Because both Liu Shiwen and Liu Guoliang are veterans of the national table tennis team and high-level leaders of the ITTF, why would they collectively miss this investigation team? Is there any inside information?
Of course, considering the principle of avoiding conflicts of interest, since this turmoil was caused by two Chinese Olympic champions, it is reasonable for Liu Guoliang and Liu Shiwen to be "benched," which helps ensure the fairness and objectivity of the investigation. In addition, Liu Guoliang, as the first vice-chairman of the ITTF and chairman of the WTT World Table Tennis Association, is one of the subjects of this review himself.
When it comes to reviewing the rules and regulations of WTT, it is obviously inappropriate to let Liu Guoliang act as both an envoy and an object of investigation. Therefore, Liu Guoliang's absence is also out of consideration to ensure the fairness of the investigation. In fact, Fan Zhendong's dissatisfaction with WTT's penalty clauses this time is not just his own behavior, but more of a voice for the vast majority of table tennis athletes.
As we all know, before Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, there were already athletes such as Aruna and Gao Zhi who expressed dissatisfaction and questioned the unfair terms of WTT. However, compared to Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, other players seemed too insignificant. Moreover, the person sitting in the position of WTT's head is none other than the national table tennis veteran Liu Guoliang. As long as the national table tennis players do not openly oppose it, no matter how much other players make a fuss, it is unlikely to change anything.
But this time, Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng unexpectedly came out to oppose, which is actually a public challenge to Liu Guoliang. As a result, the opposition of national table tennis players to Liu Guoliang, who serves as the head of WTT while being the chairman of the national table tennis team, cannot be ignored.
Facing the defection of several beloved disciples, Liu Guoliang has already felt some pressure. Previously, in an interview, he also mentioned that there are areas where WTT's regulations need to be improved. This raises a question: Since it is known that there are shortcomings and loopholes in the regulations, why were they not modified when athletes raised objections earlier, and only now, when two heavyweight national table tennis athletes oppose, does this attitude emerge?
Regardless, as the head of WTT, Liu Guoliang may need to proceed cautiously this time. Amidst the current widespread doubts, the arrival of the ITTF officials' investigation team suggests that Liu Guoliang's position is not unshakable. What do you think about this?