How much helplessness is hidden behind the African celebrity bombardment of the International Table Tennis Federation and the public opinion turmoil?

"This is an Olympic year, and if this verdict doesn't change, I will definitely go to court. ”

"I would never be a slave to WTT and play for bad prize money. ”

Recently, Nigerian table tennis star Aruna bombarded the news of the International Table Tennis Federation and the World Table Tennis Federation, which caused widespread controversy, because in the world ranking in the 14th week of 2024, Aruna was assigned 0 points in two matches, one is the Busan Team World Table Tennis Championships in February, and the other is the WTT Incheon Championships in March.

The reason for this situation is that Aruna suffered from food poisoning during the World Table Tennis Championships, failed to participate normally and did not provide relevant certificates as required, and abandoned the WTT Incheon Championship in order to play the league. In this regard, Aruna was furious, not only opposing the points punishment of the International Table Tennis Federation, but also revealing the grievances he suffered when participating in international competitions, not only the prize money was arrears, but also affected the league to make money.

If you have an in-depth understanding of the current situation in Aruna, Africa and some foreign associations, you may be able to better understand how bitter and helpless they are in the face of similar things.

Friends who pay attention to the sports world know that Chinese table tennis is a national system, and as long as athletes can enter the provincial team and other systems, they will not only have food and clothing guaranteed, but also can obtain many conveniences in terms of equipment and training; as for the players who are shortlisted for the national team, they also have financial resources to participate in foreign wars, and basically there will be no situation of participating in the competition at their own expense.

In addition, due to the very strong strength of national table tennis and the large domestic table tennis audience, those athletes who stand at the top of the pyramid can not only get bonuses in major competitions, but also receive many commercial advertising endorsements, and can also participate in many variety shows to make money after retirement - in fact, this situation is not only in China, but also in Japan and other countries with a good table tennis foundation, Ai Fukuhara, Mizutani Hayabusa and others are the best proof.

However, it is undeniable that the commercial value of table tennis itself is far less than that of football, tennis, etc., so most athletes cannot get the above treatment, and many foreign associations are stretched thin to play games, and it is even more difficult for Aruna to move forward.

As we all know, due to historical and other reasons, Africa's economic level is still relatively low, and Nigeria, where Aruna is located, is no exception. Compared with football and other sports, table tennis in the local audience is not small, but the commercial value can be formed is even smaller, it has been revealed that Aruna was a member of the Nigerian security forces when he was in China, and it is not easy to support his family.

After making a name for himself during the Rio Olympic cycle, Aruna gradually gained recognition from clubs in other countries, and his league salary became an important source of income. On the other hand, in international competitions, it is not only difficult for Aruna to achieve good results and get bonuses as steadily as national table tennis players, but also has very limited funds, and he has to pay for air tickets and hotel tickets, which account for the majority of expenses.

But then again, athletes will only be valued more at club level if they do well in international competitions, which is one of the reasons why Aruna has not devoted himself to the commercial league.

In fact, many table tennis celebrities have chosen to only play in the league in the later years of their careers, including Grand Slam Waldner and others, but Aruna can't choose this now, on the one hand, because his competitive level has not yet slipped to the point where he is not qualified for international competitions, and on the other hand, because he is from Africa, he lacks a sense of security no matter which country he goes to Asia and Europe to participate in the league, and his contract may be terminated at any time.

On the other hand, many Asian and European athletes have been playing in the league for a long time, and some of them are playing for clubs in their hometowns, and their conditions are far from being comparable to Aruna's.

It is in this situation that Aruna must hope that he can do well in international competitions, and the world ranking will have a significant impact on the draw grouping of international competitions, and at the same time detrimental to his reputation, so we have seen him clash with the ITTF.

As far as this incident is concerned, there are not many controversial points that Aruna was given 0 points at the World Table Tennis Championships, either because he did not provide proof as required, or because the Nigerian Table Tennis Association made a mistake in his work, or because the International Table Tennis Federation did not do a good job.

In Aruna's view, whether an athlete participates in WTT events should depend on his personal wishes, and if it affects his normal income, he has every reason to refuse, and cannot be punished by means of points, not to mention that the prize money for participating in WTT tournaments has not been paid in place, which is really unacceptable to him, so that he may say things like "going to court" and "never becoming a slave of WTT".

At present, this matter is still fermenting, and many fans are also waiting to see the attitude of Liu Guoliang, vice president of the ITTF and chairman of the board of directors of the World Table Tennis Federation, so let's wait and see what happens!