Recently, Nigerian table tennis star Aruna publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the points penalties and fines imposed by the ITTF and the WTT World Table Tennis Federation for his absence from two international competitions, and revealed that part of the prize money for the previous participation has not been paid, and even raised the issue to the height of racial discrimination, causing controversy inside and outside the circle.
Denton noted that Aruna's punishment was based on rules that had been put in place for a long time and "was by no means arbitrary...... applies to all players to ensure fairness and consistency in all tournaments", Aruna was punished for his own inappropriate behavior, noting that the prize money for international competitions is underway, and it is hoped that the matter will be resolved satisfactorily.
1. The issue of being punished for withdrawing from the Busan World Table Tennis Championships
Aruna's controversy stemmed from the World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in February this year, when he was unable to play normally due to a sudden food poisoning, which resulted in the three-member Nigerian men's team having no choice but to lose the whole game. Originally, according to the rules, athletes can be exempt from punishment if they have an accident, but after the competition, Aruna was given zero world ranking points in this competition, which also caused his dissatisfaction.
According to Article 4.5 of the 2024 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Rules, Aruna is exempt from punishment as long as he submits the relevant medical documents within the specified time, but he did not do so, and in this case, the punishment is inevitable - there is nothing to say, after all, it is well known that late submission will be considered invalid, and the reason is the same.
2. Penalty for withdrawal from the WTT Incheon Championship
At the subsequent WTT Incheon Championships, Aruna was punished again for giving up his appearance in order to participate in the club league, and as a result, he was again given zero, so he was very angry, believing that the WTT World Table Tennis Federation was forcing athletes to participate in the competition, ignoring the needs of everyone to support their families.
In this regard, Denton also pointed out that "the relevant provisions are detailed in the 2024 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking Rules and Article 2.4C of Part III of the WTT Tournament Manual", which is mainly to maintain the framework of international sports competitions so as not to affect the experience of spectators and sponsors, and "ensure the integrity of the competition to live up to the expectations of fans around the world" - in fact, Wang Chuqin, who also retired from the competition, was also punished in the same way, which shows that it is not aimed at Aruna.
3. Bonus distribution
As he said, on the one hand, he has been affected by playing at the club to make money because of his participation in international competitions, and on the other hand, the bonuses for participating in international competitions have not been received immediately, and the cost of participating in international competitions accounts for the majority of expenses, and he will face various penalties if he is absent, which makes him feel very aggrieved. While many fans were sympathetic to the situation, Denton made it clear that the player bonuses were currently underway.
In retrospect, Denton believes that "WTT events during the pandemic have helped athletes in difficult situations", and while the rules may be controversial now, "WTTF's mission is to strive for perfection in a complex and ever-evolving environment".
In general, the ITTF and the WTT World Table Tennis Federation are indeed doing things according to the rules this time, and there is nothing to blame, and I look forward to the two sides finally getting a satisfactory answer and working together to promote the rules of table tennis to be more perfect.