Mizutani Hayabusa wants to be the VR World Table Tennis Championships champion: practice hard, maybe you can become Fan Zhendong
At the end of last year, the ITTF announced preparations for the 2024 VR Table Tennis World Championships in preparation for the Olympic e-sports event. Japanese table tennis can't beat China, so it immediately held a VR game to overtake in a corner, and it seems that it is not bad to beat the Chinese team in the virtual world. How does national table tennis respond to the new trend of world table tennis, I haven't heard of any plans for VR competitions, right?
Tokyo Olympics table tennis mixed doubles gold medalist Hayamisa Mizutani recently announced that he will return to active play by playing VR table tennis: "If I do this, I want to rule the world. If I train hard in VR from now on, maybe I can become Fan Zhendong. ”
Mizutani will participate in the kick-off event of the "World Table Tennis x Meta Quest 2024 Collaboration Project", a collaboration between the World Championships (Busan, South Korea) and VR table tennis using virtual reality (VR) technology, which will begin in Tokyo on February 16.
In the VR table tennis match, he completely defeated the talented Takei Sou 11-2, and when the host asked him if he would like to return to active duty, Mizutani Hayabusa smiled and said, "Let's continue to be an active player, yes, I am an active VR table tennis player." I'm going to conquer the world and I think I'm probably going to be the best in the VR table tennis world. I truly believe that. ”
Mizutani also said, "If I train hard in VR from now on, maybe I can become Fan Zhendong." He mentioned the name of the current world champion of the Chinese table tennis team, which made everyone around him laugh.
Mizutani retired from active sports after the Tokyo Olympics, and a major factor was that he couldn't see the ball due to poor eyesight, but at the retirement press conference, he said, "As long as my eyesight is good, I want to continue playing." ”
When playing VR table tennis, Mizutani said, "I can see the ball clearly. When I'm an active player, I feel like the ball will fly where I want it to, and I feel like the angle of the plane will be on my route when the opponent hits the ball. I will be able to watch a great game like I did in VR table tennis."
Esports has become popular in recent years, and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has announced that it will host an international VR table tennis tournament later in 2024.
Hayabusa Mizutani, who is also influential in international competitions, expressed hope for the future of the sport: "One of the benefits of VR table tennis is that there is not much of a barrier in terms of age. There are a lot of legends, so I wanted to have a tournament that brought together Olympic champions. ”
This event uses the next-generation MR (Mixed Reality) headset "Meta Quest 3" and the VR table tennis game "Eleven Table Tennis" to compete.
TV Tokyo plans to broadcast the World Championships in Busan, South Korea, and has said that in order to liven up the atmosphere of the event, they will plan to hold a VR table tennis tournament to challenge Mizutani Hayabusa.
VR table tennis was listed as a performance event at the Singapore Olympic Esports Week last June.
The announcement by the ITTF Executive Committee of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) that the inaugural VR Table Tennis World Championship is scheduled for 2024 is a historic initiative that paves the way for this groundbreaking event.
The ITTF embracing digital transformation and recognising the changing sporting landscape will revolutionize table tennis, bringing innovative experiences that transcend traditional boundaries.
ITTF President and IOC member Petra Sorin said: "VR table tennis is an important part of the ITTF's mission to raise the profile of table tennis globally. By embracing esports and constantly innovating, we are shaping the future of table tennis, taking it to new heights. The success of the Olympic Esports Series and the prospect of Olympic Esports competitions inspire us to accelerate our efforts to ensure that we are well prepared and experienced to make a significant contribution to future eSports events."
It sounds like the Olympics may also have VR table tennis events in the future. With such great significance, will the Chinese table tennis team follow suit?
Ping Pong Hu Qingyuan