【Introduction】
Recently, the Chinese Table Tennis Association announced the list of delegations for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, in which the women's singles players will be played by Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, while Wang Manyu, who was originally considered to be very competitive, did not qualify for the singles. The result sparked widespread discussion and questioning, with Wang Manyu's fans posting online complaints that there were serious problems with the selection mechanism of national table tennis and that its fairness had been questioned.
In fact, it is a real shame that Wang Manyu missed out on singles, after all, she has achieved a number of outstanding results during the Olympic cycle. But from an objective point of view, the final selection result of national table tennis is not completely unexpected. What exactly causes this result? Is there really a problem with the selection mechanism? aIn view of these problems, it is necessary for us to conduct in-depth analysis and reflection.
[Selection Mechanism and Result Analysis]
On the surface, Wang Manyu's results in the Paris Olympic cycle are indeed better than Chen Meng's. She has won championships in many major competitions, including top events such as the World Table Tennis Championships and the National Games. Although Chen Meng lost at the Tokyo Olympics, he has also performed well recently, beating many strong opponents in some important events.
However, in the final selection results of national table tennis, Chen Meng stood out, while Wang Manyu could only enter the team competition list. The reason for this is mainly because the national table tennis has introduced some new rules in the selection process, which directly affects the final points ranking of the players.
Specifically, the national table tennis suddenly announced a new rule last month, that is, if a player loses to a player from another country in some important tournament, a large number of points will be deducted. For example, if you lose to other National Association players in a WTT Grand Slam event, 3,000 points will be deducted; If you do not qualify in the group stage of the ITTF World Cup, you will have to deduct 6,000 points.
The introduction of this policy is obviously to improve the competitiveness of players in the international arena and ensure that national table tennis can maintain a dominant position in major events. But for individual players, it has also had a negative impact.
For example, Wang Manyu suffered a good start to the Saudi Grand Slam when she lost to India's Batra, which caused her points to plummet. Chen Meng, on the other hand, sang all the way in the following events, defeating strong opponents such as Miyu Hirano, Miwa Zhangmoto, and Hina Hayata, and finally won the championship, and his points rose sharply. This tragicomic turn made Wang Manyu, who was originally leading, overtaken by Chen Meng, and thus missed the singles qualification.
From this point of view, although the selection mechanism of national table tennis can improve the competitiveness of players in international competitions to a certain extent, it may also bring some unfair results. This is undoubtedly a disadvantage for some players who have performed well throughout the cycle, but have occasionally suffered defeats.
For example, Wang Manyu has won many major events during the Paris Olympic cycle, including the World Table Tennis Championships and the National Games. And on such an excellent report card, she still couldn't get a place in the singles competition in the end, which can be said to be a great pity.
On the other hand, although Chen Meng failed to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics, his recent performance has been outstanding, defeating Miu Hirano and Miwa Zhang to finally win the Saudi Grand Slam. Judging by her performance throughout the Olympic cycle, she is indeed eligible for the singles event.
But the problem is that if it weren't for the new rules introduced by the national table tennis, the singles qualification might have belonged to Wang Manyu, after all, her results in the whole cycle were indeed better. This can't help but make people wonder whether the national table tennis pays too much attention to the immediate results, and ignores the overall strength and long-term performance of the players.
[Reasonableness of public questioning]
It is precisely because of this selection mechanism of national table tennis that Wang Manyu was unable to qualify for the singles of the Paris Olympics in the end, which naturally aroused widespread doubts from fans and the public.
Judging from the reactions of Wang Manyu's fans, they believe that there was obvious manipulation by the national table tennis coaching staff in the selection process, depriving Wang Manyu of the Olympic singles qualification he deserves. They believe that Wang Manyu's performance was significantly better than Chen Meng's throughout the Olympic cycle, but in the end he was forced to participate in the team competition, which is completely inconsistent with the sportsmanship of fairness and justice.
This skepticism is not entirely unreasonable. We can see that after the introduction of the new selection rules, Wang Manyu, who had been leading before, was overtaken, which really makes people feel a little strange. In addition, Wang Manyu's reputation at home and abroad has always been very good, and she has always been considered the future star of Chinese women's table tennis, and this result will naturally cause dissatisfaction among many fans.
More importantly, this skepticism also reflects the public's general demand for fairness and justice in the field of sports. As some fans said, competitive sports should uphold the principle of fairness and justice, and there should be no interference and manipulation by any human factors. If we blindly emphasize the results and ignore the fairness of the process, it will seriously damage the credibility of the entire sports industry.
From this point of view, the doubts of Wang Manyu's fans are not completely unfounded. Their dissatisfaction stems first and foremost from a basic demand for fairness and justice, which is completely understandable. The sports world has always advocated fair competition, and if even this fundamental principle cannot be guaranteed, it may be difficult to gain the recognition and support of the audience.
As mentioned earlier, Wang Manyu's results were better than Chen Meng's throughout the Olympic cycle, but the end result was just the opposite. This makes one wonder what exactly led to such a result. A single accidental defeat can completely change the entire selection pattern, which is indeed contrary to the original intention of fairness and justice.
Therefore, we cannot simply think that Wang Manyu's fans' doubts are meaningless emotional catharsis, but should seriously think about the problems behind them. Only by achieving true fairness and justice can sports develop healthily and win more public trust and support.
[Reflection and Improvement of the Selection Mechanism]
Through the analysis of the above problems, we can see that there are some places worthy of reflection and improvement in the selection mechanism of national table tennis.
First of all, while the new "demerit points" rule can help improve the competitiveness of players on the international stage, it may also bring some unfair results. This is undoubtedly a disadvantage for a player like Wang Manyu who has performed well throughout the cycle but has occasionally experienced unexpected losses.
Therefore, we should weigh the pros and cons of this rule and adjust it appropriately. For example, you can consider reducing the number of points deducted, or not imposing a penalty for some smaller events. At the same time, it is also necessary to strengthen the evaluation of overall strength and long-term performance, and avoid focusing too much on the results of a single event.
Second, we should also focus on a more open and transparent mechanism in the selection process. The reason why some fans question the practice of national table tennis is largely due to a lack of understanding and trust in the whole process. Therefore, the national table tennis should take the initiative to publish the relevant selection rules and judging criteria, and invite professionals to conduct independent supervision to ensure fairness and justice.
In addition, we should also pay more attention to and support the psychological state of the players. Athletic competition is ultimately about individual performance, and the psychological state of a player will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the final performance. Therefore, national table tennis should establish a sound psychological counseling and counseling mechanism to help players better cope with pressure and setbacks and ensure that they can perform at their best.
At the same time, we also need to focus on the all-round development of the players. It is not advisable to simply pursue short-term results, and more attention should be paid to the comprehensive quality training of players, including strategic awareness, teamwork, social responsibility, etc. Only when the players have a comprehensive quality can they continue to maintain their advantages in future competitions and win glory for the country.
In short, through in-depth analysis and reflection on this incident, we can see that there are indeed some problems and shortcomings in the national table tennis selection mechanism. In the future, the national table tennis should further improve the relevant system to ensure that the selection process is more fair, just, transparent and effective, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of athletes, and win wide recognition from all walks of life.
Only in this way can China's table tennis industry develop sustainably and healthily, win glory for the country, and better respond to the public's demands and fully demonstrate the positive value of sports.
【Conclusion】
Table tennis has always been regarded as "China's national sport" and is also one of the most outstanding sports in the international sports arena of the mainland. But the result of Wang Manyu's failure to participate in the Olympic singles this time undoubtedly cast a shadow on this sports business card.
We must seriously think about and solve this problem. On the one hand, we must adhere to the sportsmanship of fairness and justice, earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of athletes, and make the sports arena a stage for fair competition. On the other hand, we must continue to improve the selection mechanism, fully explore and cultivate more table tennis talents, and inject lasting impetus into China's sports industry.
Only in this way can China's table tennis continue to maintain its leading position, win glory for the country, and win the recognition of the audience and the public. This is not only related to the future development of the mainland's sports undertakings, but also to the long-term prospects of this "national sport." Let us work together to write a more brilliant chapter for the future of Chinese table tennis!