According to recent reports, a decision by the Japan Table Tennis Association seems to have attracted a lot of attention and discussion. This incident was supposed to be a happy opportunity to compete, but unfortunately it turned into a dispute between the Chinese and Japanese table tennis circles. The origins of the dispute can be traced back to the International Table Tennis Federation's recently created new global competition, the Table Tennis Mixed Team World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in Chengdu, China, in December 2023.
As the head coach of the Chinese table tennis team, Liu Guoliang attaches great importance to this world competition held in China. He personally sent an invitation to table tennis players from all over the world to participate in the competition, hoping to take this opportunity to show the strength and charm of Chinese table tennis. However, this sincere invitation did not receive a positive response from the Japan Table Tennis Association. The Japan Table Tennis Association refused to participate in the World Championship, citing the ongoing T-League and the lack of numbers in the women's team.
This decision of the Japan Table Tennis Association has caused a strong reaction from the Chinese table tennis community. Liu Guoliang and the Chinese table tennis team quickly counterattacked, demanding that all Chinese players who play in Japan's T-League immediately return to China for training and are not allowed to participate in T-League matches. This decision is obviously to express dissatisfaction with the decision of the Japan Table Tennis Association, and it is also hoped that in this way, the Japan Table Tennis Association will put pressure on it to change its decision.
In the midst of this dispute, the actions of one player have attracted a lot of attention. Hao Shuai, the 40-year-old veteran, chose to stay in Japan and continue to play in the T-League. His choice was highly praised by the Japanese media, who believed that he showed mature skills and a strong desire to win. The reason why Hao Shuai made this choice may be because he is over forty years old and may not have a suitable opportunity to play after returning to China; On the other hand, he does not belong to any Chinese association or provincial team, and does not need the approval of the Chinese Table Tennis Association to compete abroad.
Through this incident, it is not difficult for us to see that in the international table tennis community, the interaction and game between associations of various countries are still complex and changeable. While pursuing sports competition, how to deal with the relationship between table tennis organizations in other countries and regions is also a problem that every national table tennis association needs to seriously consider. Overall, we hope that through such an event, we can promote exchanges and cooperation between the table tennis circles of various countries and jointly promote the development of this sport.