On April 13, 2024, the Chinese Table Tennis Association once again announced the new regulations on the selection method of the national table tennis team, which aroused widespread attention and heated discussions among fans. This is not the first time that the Table Tennis Association has made major adjustments to the selection method, and the last rule revision has caused a lot of controversy, making fans confused and questioning the decision of the Table Tennis Association.
There are two core changes in the new regulations: one is to increase the point deduction mechanism, and the other is to shorten the calculation period of foreign wars, from the original three-year Olympic cycle to one year. These two changes will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the women's singles players' Olympic qualification content.
As we all know, in the current women's singles pattern, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu and Chen Meng are the three main forces, and their Olympic points gap is huge. According to the previous rules, Sun Yingsha can almost monopolize one place in women's singles with a huge point advantage. But as soon as the new rules came out, the situation changed subtly.
The introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association immediately sparked heated discussions among fans. Some argue that this is a necessary adjustment to the rules of the past and can better reflect the principle of fair competition; There are also concerns that the new rules will unduly affect the stability of the current women's singles landscape, creating serious obstacles to the Olympic path for some top athletes. Overall, the new rules have undoubtedly added more uncertainty and suspense to the upcoming women's singles events at the Tokyo Olympics.
As the current world No. 1 table tennis women's singles player, Sun Yingsha is far ahead in Olympic points, with a whopping 23,500 points, almost twice as many as the second place Wang Manyu. This allowed her to lock in one place in the women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics before the new rules of the Table Tennis Association were announced on April 13.
But the introduction of the new regulations has brought some uncertainty to Sun Yingsha's Olympic journey. The first is the introduction of point deduction rules, whether it is the Saudi Grand Slam, the table tennis World Cup group stage or the knockout round, as long as she suffers a defeat in a foreign war, Sun Yingsha's already huge points advantage may be greatly reduced. In the event of an unexpected loss, her otherwise secure women's singles qualification is likely to be lost. For Sun Yingsha, who has always been highly self-disciplined and rarely makes mistakes, this is indeed a disadvantage.
The second is the shortening of the calculation period for foreign wars, from the original three years to one year. This may also be a double-edged sword for Sun Yingsha. The two foreign battles she has lost in the past three years are counted, but if you use the one-year cycle as a calculation period, the number of foreign battles she has lost will be significantly reduced. For a long-term athlete like her, this may have avoided the impact of chance on her Olympic qualification. But it also means that if she suffers a major defeat in just one year, without the buffer of the three-year cycle, her Olympic road will also be severely tested.
In general, the new rules of the Table Tennis Association have brought mixed effects to Sun Yingsha, who has always been stable. On the one hand, the introduction of the point deduction rule casts a shadow over her advantageous position, but on the other hand, the shortening of the calculation period of foreign wars may also help her avoid the interference of accidental factors. Whether Sun Yingsha can successfully win the women's singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics under this new rule is still undecided.
The future of this current world female single brother has undoubtedly attracted much attention. Her long-standing consistency and goal-oriented approach have made her a benchmark in table tennis. However, the introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association has undoubtedly added a lot of variables to her Olympic journey. Whether Sun Yingsha can continue to maintain her dominant position under the new regulations will be the focus of fans' attention.
Compared with Sun Yingsha, the new rules of the Table Tennis Association this time are a big benefit for Chen Meng.
In the current women's singles points rankings, Chen Meng ranks third with 12,327 points, behind Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu. In the past Olympic cycle, Chen Meng lost a total of 4 foreign wars, and in the new one-year calculation cycle, this number will be significantly reduced to 2. This has undoubtedly greatly improved Chen Meng's ability to compete for Olympic qualification.
At the same time, the introduction of the point deduction mechanism has also weakened the dominant position of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu. If they suffer a defeat in an important event, the huge points advantage could be drastically reduced. This provides a chance for Chen Meng, who is in third place, to catch up again.
It can be said that under the influence of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association, Chen Meng regained the opportunity to hit the No. 1 seed in women's singles. While she is not entirely sure whether she will be able to qualify for the women's singles at Tokyo, at least she has shaken off her previous marginalization and is back in the race for a place at the Olympics.
This is undoubtedly news that makes Chen Meng ecstatic. In the past few years, she has been overwhelmed by Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, and some fans even questioned that she had completely withdrawn from the Olympic women's singles competition. But now, with the introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association, the opportunity for Chen Meng's re-emergence has finally come.
For Chen Meng, the introduction of the new regulations is undoubtedly a good opportunity to start anew. As a former World Champion, she has been left far behind by Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu in the past few years. But now, with the change in the deduction rules and the calculation cycle of foreign matches, she has a chance to challenge the No. 1 seed in the women's singles again.
This is undoubtedly a booster for Chen Meng. In the past, she was marginalized, with some even questioning that she had withdrawn from the Olympic Women's Singles competition, but now she finally has the possibility of a resurgence. No matter what the final result is, the introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association this time at least provides the possibility for Chen Meng to regain her former glory in the women's singles field of the Tokyo Olympics.
We wait and see, and look forward to Chen Meng seizing this rare opportunity to shine again in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and create another glory for Chinese sports.
In the current women's singles points rankings, Wang Manyu ranks second, closely behind Sun Yingsha with 12,537 points. It can be said that in the last Olympic cycle, Wang Manyu's performance was quite stable, and she also qualified for one women's singles quota place at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, the introduction of the new regulations of the Table Tennis Association has undoubtedly brought Wang Manyu some hidden worries.
The first is the introduction of the point deduction mechanism, which will undoubtedly erode Wang Manyu's points advantage. As a high-level player, she has occasionally suffered defeats on the outside, and if that happens, her huge points advantage could also be drastically reduced. This will inevitably increase the risk that she will not be able to qualify for the Olympics.
The second is the shortening of the calculation period for foreign wars, from the original three years to one year. This is also a double-edged sword for Wang Manyu. The two foreign battles she has lost in the past three years are counted, but if you use one year as a cycle, the number of foreign battles she has lost will also be significantly reduced. This will undoubtedly reduce the impact of chance on her Olympic qualification. But it also means that if she suffers a major defeat in just one year, without the buffer of the three-year cycle, her Olympic road will also be severely tested.
In general, although the introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association did not bring direct benefits to Wang Manyu like Chen Meng, it did not bring her too severe challenges. As the second place in the current women's singles pattern, Wang Manyu needs to maintain her competitiveness and consistent performance in order to successfully qualify for the Tokyo Olympics under the new rules.
For the current No. 2 in women's singles, the introduction of the new rules has undoubtedly brought some uncertainty to her Olympic path. On the one hand, the introduction of the point deduction mechanism may erode her points advantage; On the other hand, the shortening of the calculation period of foreign wars may have a certain impact. But overall, Wang Manyu is an experienced and consistent top player, and she is still expected to qualify for the women's singles at the Tokyo Olympics under the new rules. The key is whether she can continue to maintain her dominant position in this changing situation.
The introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association has undoubtedly added a lot of suspense and expectations to the upcoming women's singles event of the Tokyo Olympics. There are not only the challenges faced by a stable hegemon like Sun Yingsha, but also the opportunity for Chen Meng to regain his former glory, and the hidden worry that Wang Manyu needs to remain competitive.
It can be said that under the influence of this new regulation, the women's singles pattern is facing some subtle changes. Although Sun Yingsha still maintains an absolute points advantage, the adjustment of the point deduction mechanism and the calculation cycle of foreign wars has undoubtedly increased the uncertainty of her Olympic road. Chen Meng, who is ranked third, has a good chance to re-emerge because of the adjustment of the new rules, and is expected to catch up with or even surpass the top two Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha in the Tokyo Olympics. As for Wang Manyu, although she did not get a direct benefit like Chen Meng, she is still expected to successfully qualify for the Olympics through stable performance.
Such a change in the pattern has undoubtedly added more suspense and highlights to the upcoming women's singles event at the Tokyo Olympics. In the past, Sun Yingsha has been absolutely dominant, but now the introduction of new rules may break this situation and give Chen Meng and other players a chance to rise again. This is undoubtedly a rare opportunity for the development of the entire Chinese table tennis women's singles.
The changes in the table tennis landscape have never stopped, and every rule adjustment will bring new opportunities and challenges. Under the influence of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association, we see the challenges faced by Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng's chance to regain her life, and Wang Manyu's hidden worries about maintaining a stable performance. This undoubtedly increases the suspense and anticipation of the women's singles event at the Tokyo Olympics.
We are waiting and looking forward to the stage of the Tokyo Olympics, where the Chinese female table tennis players can once again write a wonderful chapter and add new glory to Chinese sports. Regardless of the final result, the introduction of the new rules of the Table Tennis Association this time has added more uncertainties and factors to look forward to in the women's singles event of the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, and will undoubtedly add more excitement to this sporting event.