The table tennis WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam is in full swing, and the competition will continue on May 7, Beijing time, but for the national table tennis, this day has a very special significance, because according to the announcement previously issued by the Chinese Table Tennis Association, that day will be the deadline for the Paris Olympics men's singles and mixed doubles selection and inspection.
According to the regulations, the men's singles players of the national table tennis in this Olympic Games will be the top two athletes in the team's standings, and the mixed doubles combination is the highest-ranked pair in the world on May 7, 2024.
The rules for the selection of the national table tennis Paris Olympics have been determined as early as May 15, 2023, when the official website of the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the "Table Tennis 2024 Paris Olympic Games Selection Method", in which the singles candidates are determined by the points system, the mixed doubles quota is directly determined by the world ranking, and the third person in the group is selected by recommendation (note: singles players are automatically selected into the team).
However, on April 13, 2024, the Chinese Table Tennis Association optimized and adjusted the selection method for the women's team to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, extended the inspection time of women's singles from May 7 to May 14, and added the principle of deducting points for losing in foreign wars, but the men's singles and mixed doubles have not been adjusted, so the default is to continue the old plan.
Although the world rankings have not been updated on May 7, there is no suspense that the two will continue to rank No. 1 in the world with the huge advantage of Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha - since they are No. 1 in the world, they are naturally No. 1 in the team, so unless there is a major accident, they have already qualified for the mixed doubles of the Paris Olympics in advance.
As for the men's singles Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong, they have been firmly holding the top two positions in the team's standings, although the WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam is still being held, but because the event will not end until May 11, and the investigation of men's singles candidates will end on May 7, there is no connection between the two.
Prior to this, fans were more concerned about whether the veteran Ma Long, who had recently rebounded in form and won the World Cup, could be reused by the coaching staff to qualify for the men's singles and impact the "three Grand Slams", but not long ago, Ma Long lost 0-3 at the WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam and was swept by South Korean player Jang Woo-jin, which undoubtedly dealt a fatal blow to his Olympic singles future.
Of course, like the mixed doubles, the final candidates for the men's singles event will not be fully determined until they are announced, but since the Chinese Table Tennis Association has already determined the selection rules, we can already assume that Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong have been automatically shortlisted, and we look forward to them being able to hold their positions in the WTT Saudi Arabia Grand Slam and prepare for the Paris Olympics.