The list of participants for the Asian Cup has been announced, with the event scheduled to take place in Shenzhen from February 19 to 23. Both the men's team head coach Wang Hao and the women's team head coach Ma Lin have also made statements regarding the selection mechanism for the competition.
Ma Lin's remarks were quite appropriate. He first mentioned Chen Meng, who withdrew from the competition, and communicated with her personally. The decision for her not to participate in international competitions recently is a sign of respect for the national table tennis honor champion and reflects his concern for his apprentice.
On the other hand, Wang Hao's statement seemed to overlook personal relationships, as he did not mention Fan Zhendong at all, who is not only his junior but also his disciple. When Fan Zhendong won the Paris Men's Singles Olympic singles championship, Wang Hao played the emotional card. However, after Fan Zhendong withdrew from the competition, Wang Hao remained silent, which led to criticism from netizens.
Famous journalist He Xiaolong said in a live broadcast that Wang Hao had no right to speak. Only Liu Guoliang has the authority to speak for the national table tennis team, or someone authorized by Liu Guoliang. Wang Hao has no qualifications, and if he speaks out of turn, it would be detrimental to his career in the circle. He Xiaolong's point is quite reasonable, and Wang Hao did nothing wrong. After all, he needs to make a living and cannot openly oppose his superiors; he still needs to protect his job.
However, this time at the Asian Cup, not even mentioning Xiao Pang (Fan Zhendong) seems too indifferent. Is Xiao Pang retired? Or what happened? I remember he said he wouldn't retire. Speaking like Ma Lin would at least show some warmth, expressing concern for your apprentice. It's unlikely that certain people could do anything to you. Is the stance now so obvious? Or are you so afraid of power? This distancing seems too clean.
I used to think highly of Wang Hao, but my good impression of him has disappeared after this incident. Whether it's due to low emotional intelligence or an obvious stance, it's hard to say, or perhaps it's because he's constrained by his position and dare not speak up?
After all, Xiao Pang and Wang Hao have had such a long relationship, being both brothers and master and apprentice. To say there's no warmth or coldness in their relationship is truly disheartening.