Nigerian player Aruna is not alone, shortly after he bombarded the World Table Tennis Federation (WTT), French star Simon Goetz publicly sided with the black friend, writing on social media: "I'm sorry WTT, but I want to say that Aruna is completely right", and he even called for the formation of a table tennis players' union to fight against the World Table Tennis Federation's exploitation of players' interests.
In fact, Goetz has always been a thorn in the pang, complaining about the low prize money in WTT and calling for the formation of a players' union to fight for his rights. It's a pity that Goetz's idea is a bit utopian, because the most influential players in table tennis come from China, and the national table tennis players are all in the system, supported by the state finance, and have very favorable material conditions, so it is impossible to stand in the same trench as Goets.
This time, Goetz finally hit it off with Aruna, the enemy of the enemy is a friend, and what these excellent foreign players are dissatisfied with is that it is not easy to make a living by playing table tennis and live a very decent and rich life. As a niche sport in Europe and the United States, it is difficult for table tennis players to get any sponsorship, and the cost of training and competition is very large, and it is really a bit difficult to make ends meet by making money from competition bonuses. Some players don't have the money to buy air tickets to play abroad, and they have to launch crowdfunding online.
The World Table Tennis Federation sponsors a lot, and the tickets are not cheap, but the prize money has not increased, and where has the money gone, which is the most criticized. The American sports media Sportskeeda also wrote in support of Aruna: "As a professional athlete with financial responsibilities, such as providing for his family and paying his bills, Aruna emphasized the need for WTT to prioritize and provide prize money in a timely manner (rather than in arrears). ”
American journalists frantically complained about the World Table Tennis Federation: "Aruna's efforts for fairness and transparency in the table tennis world reveal the problems that table tennis players face in managing contracts, financial constraints and institutional barriers. His courageous stance became the battle cry of table tennis players all over the world. ”