Recently, a series of events in the Chinese table tennis world has sparked widespread attention to the position of the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center. This turmoil began with Fan Zhendong's decision to withdraw from the world rankings, followed by a contradiction between Liu Guoliang's stance on participation issues and the regulations of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), making the appointment of the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center a focal point of discussion!
All this started with the Paris Olympic cycle. Currently, the Chinese table tennis team is facing multiple challenges: on one hand, there is the competition between Wang Manyu and Chen Meng for the women's singles Olympic entry spots, and on the other hand, there are the participation issues for main players such as Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, and Chen Meng after they withdrew from the world rankings. Especially after Liu Guoliang stated in an interview that Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng could participate in international competitions through wild cards, careful fans checked the relevant ITTF regulations and found that non-registered players had no possibility of obtaining wild cards, which plunged Liu Guoliang's remarks into a trust crisis.
Against this backdrop, the former director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center was transferred to the head of the General Administration of Sports Training Bureau, highlighting the importance of this timing. Fans generally hope to quickly determine the new director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center so that there can be a leader who oversees the overall situation to guide the development direction of the national table tennis team. However, some fans worry that Liu Guoliang will directly take on this position, but this concern is actually unnecessary. Because the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center is a position with administrative rank, and since Liu Guoliang left in 2017, he has only retained the identity of the Table Tennis Association, a civilian organization, and does not meet the requirements in terms of administrative rank. More importantly, Liu Guoliang currently needs to focus on the work of the national table tennis team and cannot simultaneously take care of the overall work of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center.
In this context, Wang Liqin, a veteran of the national table tennis team and the current director of the competitive sports center of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, has become the most suitable candidate. Wang Liqin's advantages are reflected in many aspects: first, as a veteran of the national table tennis team, he has rich experience as an athlete and coach, and his professional qualities are unquestionable; secondly, he is currently the vice president of the Table Tennis Association and the director of the competitive sports center of the Shanghai Sports Bureau, meeting the administrative rank requirements; most importantly, he has a special friendship with Fan Zhendong.
This special relationship dates back to the period when the Bayi team disbanded. At that time, when Fan Zhendong was looking for a new home, he was particularly concerned about the whereabouts of the young players from the Bayi team's second team. He insisted that the local team signing him must also accept these young players. This requirement made it difficult for Fan Zhendong to find a suitable place to go, and eventually Wang Liqin agreed to this condition. Not only that, during the Paris Olympics, Wang Liqin led the Shanghai Sports Bureau to provide comprehensive logistical support for Fan Zhendong, fully supporting his preparations, which made their relationship even closer.
Wang Liqin's characteristics and experiences make him the most suitable candidate to serve as the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center at present. Not only does he possess professional abilities and administrative qualifications, but more importantly, he can play a connecting and coordinating role during this special period. Especially considering the impact of the Fan Zhendong incident, if Wang Liqin takes on this position, it may have a positive impact on promoting Fan Zhendong's return, which is of great significance to the future development of the national table tennis team.
During the critical period of generational change in Chinese table tennis, the selection of the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center is particularly important. This position requires someone who understands the needs of athletes, possesses management skills, and can balance relationships among various parties. Judging from the current situation, Wang Liqin undoubtedly meets these requirements the most, and his appointment may bring new opportunities to the development of Chinese table tennis.
This series of events also reflects that in the sports management system, the proper arrangement of talents has an important impact on the stable development of sports teams. Properly resolving the issue of selecting the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center is not only related to the recent development of the national table tennis team but will also affect the long-term future of Chinese table tennis!