Since the Paris Olympics, renowned sports media personality He Xiaolong seems to have taken on the national table tennis team (Guoping). From Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha to Wang Chuqin, he has "commented" on each of them. And now, he has even targeted Liu Guoliang, predicting that he will be "dismissed." Is the national table tennis team really in the "dangerous situation" as he described? Now, Liu Guoliang is no longer silent, admitting that the national table tennis team will make a "big move"!
As a sports media person, He Xiaolong has certainly "stolen the limelight." A series of controversial remarks have made netizens "deeply disgusted" with him. However, those remarks lacking objectivity and fairness seem to give him a sense of "self-satisfaction." He is even more "unwilling to let go" of the national table tennis team! After the women's singles event at the Paris Olympics, He Xiaolong's remarks were truly perplexing. On one hand, he repeatedly questioned the gold content of Chen Meng's Olympic singles championship. He even hinted that Chen Meng had "someone above her protecting her," making her incomparable to Deng Yaping and Zhang Yining. This inexplicable remark naturally provoked criticism and resistance from many netizens. On the other hand, he turned his "pen" towards Sun Yingsha. He pointed out that this defeat was not only due to technical deficiencies but also a lack of mentality. He believed that the excessive marketing surrounding Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin brought them too high expectations and pressure. It affected their psychological preparation, leading to inadequate preparation and lack of targeted plans in key competitions. Following that, he once again targeted Wang Chuqin, who could not escape unscathed. Before Wang Chuqin won the WTT Finals, He Xiaolong was very critical of him, but his attitude changed drastically after the victory. He even created the "National Table Tennis 80,000 Mind-Eye Theory," summarizing the essence of national table tennis players' playing style as "calculation." Taking Ma Lin as an example, he claimed that Ma Lin relied on "calculation" to win the Olympic singles championship. These remarks based solely on personal subjective assumptions, lacking objective factual basis, not only violated the principle of objectivity and fairness that news media people should adhere to but also aroused great anger among netizens. But unexpectedly, the online "verbal attacks" against him did not stop him from making even more "reckless" remarks.
Recently, Yang Xinli, the former director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center, was appointed as the director and party secretary of the Training Bureau. Originally, his position was removed, and it has remained vacant for more than a week until now. In theory, as the "leader" of the national table tennis team, Liu Guoliang should have naturally assumed this position. After all, the achievements he has made over the years are there for everyone to see! As a former legend in the table tennis world, Liu Guoliang led the Chinese table tennis team to achieve brilliant success. His management skills have been widely praised, and he is considered one of the strong candidates to succeed as the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center. Since taking office as chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association in 2017, the national table tennis team has performed outstandingly in various competitions. They only missed out on the mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, winning big in other times. He also actively promoted the popularization and development of the table tennis project, enhancing the social attention to table tennis. Moreover, he is pushing for the mixed team event to enter the Olympics, which, if successful, will bring greater benefits to China's Olympic delegation. In fact, long before Yang Xinli took office as the director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center in 2023, Liu Guoliang was already a hot candidate for this position. But back then, Yang Xinli was directly appointed as the "new leader" by this "parachutist." Thinking about it now, he successfully "rose higher" due to the impressive results achieved by the table tennis and badminton teams at the Paris Olympics. The vacated position has remained empty, and the "hot candidate" Liu Guoliang was unable to take over. It is precisely because of this that He Xiaolong predicted that Liu Guoliang had already been "dismissed." He pointed out that Liu Guoliang is the promoter of the national table tennis fan culture. He believes that in the process of promoting the commercialization of the national table tennis team, leading athletes to participate in entertainment programs to build a fan base, Liu Guoliang failed to control the rhythm well. This led to famous athletes like Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin becoming internet celebrities. The massive fan base often cyberbullied opponents, damaging the image of the athletes and the national table tennis team. Coupled with the fact that Liu Guoliang has been "silent" since the mixed team World Cup, He Xiaolong claims that the management institution of the Table Tennis Association is in a state of leaderlessness or even semi-paralysis. He also implies that changes in the management level of the national table tennis team are inevitable, and it is difficult for Liu Guoliang to regain his former prestige. Whether his "loyal supporters" like Ma Lin and Qin Zhijian will still support him is also in question. Indeed, in recent years, the fan culture of the national table tennis team has become prevalent, and some fans' irrational behaviors have had a negative impact on the team's image. There are also doubts about Liu Guoliang's management. For example, during the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, controversy arose due to the arrangement of the "Sha Tou" combination due to the high audience demand. In the Chongqing Championship, Fan Zhendong was booed by the audience after winning, and the champion was attacked and insulted after winning the title, etc. All these issues urgently need to be resolved. Therefore, after He Xiaolong posted his remarks about "Liu Guoliang being dismissed," many netizens were successfully aroused with curiosity and desire to investigate. Everyone is waiting for further news and an official response to confirm or refute this astonishing assertion. Faced with these disturbing remarks, Liu Guoliang finally responded!
On the evening of December 24th, in response to He Xiaolong's speculation about his dismissal, Liu Guoliang appeared on CCTV's "Sports News." He attended the National Sports Director's Conference and was interviewed in his capacity as Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. This effectively refuted the rumors of his dismissal, indicating that he is still in his position. He also looked forward to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics optimistically, revealing that the national table tennis team will make "big moves." First, starting from the new Olympic cycle in 2025, young players will be given more opportunities to compete. These four years will be divided into four stages: from cultivation to maturation, then sprinting, and finally entering full-scale preparation. Second, he also mentioned that the national table tennis team will face team restructuring, and the two-way selection between coaches and athletes may start again. The team's age structure, playing style, and overall configuration require fine-tuning. To adapt to the increasingly fierce competitive environment in the international table tennis arena and solve problems such as the long-term lack of head coaches for the main players of the national table tennis team. Finally, there will be further updates to training equipment, introducing technological elements. Using data analysis to optimize training plans and introducing virtual reality technology to simulate match scenarios. At the same time, internal management will be optimized to ensure the rational allocation of resources. Liu Guoliang's direct response has made the "dismissal rumors" self-defeating. His appearance put the hearts of fans at ease and gave the national table tennis team members a reassurance. Everyone firmly believes that under his leadership, the national table tennis team can achieve excellent results in the new Olympic cycle and continue the glory of Chinese table tennis!
Summary: This incident also reminds fans and the media at large. When facing personnel changes and other issues in the sports world, they should maintain rationality and objectivity. Avoid blindly believing and spreading unverified information, and work together to create a healthy, stable, and harmonious sports public opinion environment.
