I've been following the national table tennis team for so many years, and I've never seen a storm like this one. He Xiaolong exploded on social media with the claim that "Liu Guoliang has been fired," immediately causing a huge stir in the sports circle.
Honestly, my first reaction upon seeing this news was disbelief. Liu Guoliang had just led the national table tennis team to win multiple gold medals at the Paris Olympics, so how could he be fired so easily? However, He Xiaolong is an experienced sports journalist, so there must be some basis for what he said, right?
After carefully examining He Xiaolong's claims, he targeted the "fan culture" within the national table tennis team.
Indeed, after Chen Meng won the championship at the Paris Olympics, some unpleasant incidents occurred. Sun Yingsha's fans launched cyber attacks on Chen Meng, which made people uncomfortable to watch.
He Xiaolong believes that this fan culture developed during Liu Guoliang's tenure.
I have to say that the national table tennis team has indeed changed a lot in recent years. The players are no longer like they used to be, "deaf to outside affairs," but instead started appearing on variety shows and managing their personal social media accounts. On the one hand, this has made table tennis more popular among young people, but on the other hand, it has also brought about some troubles.
Just as everyone was discussing, the CCTV "Sports News" on the evening of December 24 provided a clear answer. Liu Guoliang appeared at the National Sports Director's Meeting in his capacity as Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association and even gave an interview. This dispelled the rumors of his dismissal.
What did Liu Guoliang say in the interview? I listened to it several times carefully. He said that starting from 2025, the national table tennis team will build a new platform and form a new team. It's clear that he is already preparing for the next Olympic cycle.
The national table tennis team's four-year plan is very clear: the first year focuses on training newcomers, the second year emphasizes coordination, the third year begins extensive participation in competitions, and the final year fully prepares for the Olympics.
Ma Long is unlikely to participate in the next Olympics, and Fan Zhendong, after completing the super grand slam, is also considering retirement.
Although Wang Chuqin is young, his state is not yet stable enough.
The national table tennis team does indeed need to cultivate new talent.
I think He Xiaolong's point of view cannot be said to be completely wrong. There are indeed some problems within the national table tennis team that need to be solved, such as the proliferation of fan culture. However, using such extreme language as "fired" to attract attention is a bit excessive.
From CCTV's report, it can be seen that not only has Liu Guoliang not been fired, but he is actually planning a major reform. The national table tennis team wants to establish a two-way selection mechanism between coaches and athletes, which was unimaginable in the past. In the past, it was always the leaders who designated who would lead whom, but now they want to give both coaches and players the right to choose.
What lessons does this storm teach us? Sports news should also emphasize authenticity and not make wild statements just to catch people's attention. As a sports journalist, He Xiaolong's focus is not wrong, but his way of expressing it is questionable.
The national table tennis team is going through a transition period, needing to maintain its competitive strength while adapting to the new era. There are bound to be some problems in this process, but as long as the direction is correct, I believe that under Liu Guoliang's leadership, the national table tennis team will surely continue to maintain its status as world champions.
What do you think is the most pressing issue that the national table tennis team needs to solve now? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.