Text: Xiao Peng's brilliant notes
Editor|Xiao Peng's brilliant notes
Disclaimer: The "official information sources" referred to in this article are all repeated at the end of the article, thank you for your support.
【Foreword】
Table tennis, as the national sport of our country, has always been focused on by the masses, which leads to the fact that once there is any trouble, it will attract the attention of a large number of people.
Especially after the Frankfurt Championship just ended, everyone was still immersed in the joy of winning, and another piece of news was discovered, but this time it was not praise, but let the national table tennis fall into the whirlpool of public opinion.
This news is about the mixed team World Cup roster, although the national table tennis sent a luxury lineup to participate, but it directly made fans dissatisfied, and even Liu Guoliang's social media comment area fell.
At this time, some friends may be curious, what is the reason for this? Is there a problem with the selection mechanism of national table tennis?
[The mystery of the mixed team World Cup roster]
On the day the ITTF announced the list of participants for the 2024 Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, the table tennis world set off a lot of turmoil.
As soon as the list came out, the fans immediately exploded, the men's team lineup composed of Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Liang Jingkun, and Lin Gaoyuan, plus the women's team lineup of Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and Kuo Man.
At first glance, it looks very luxurious, but attentive fans soon noticed that something was wrong, because Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng were not on the list, and the two world No. 2 players were not selected, which is a bit too much to say.
After all, according to last year's rules, the top two players in the world were automatically shortlisted, and some fans began to be dissatisfied with the list, and even Liu Guoliang's social media comment section was occupied by various doubts.
Everyone has asked for the selection criteria and process to be made public, and this turmoil came suddenly but it is reasonable, because every move of national table tennis has always attracted much attention, and the opaque selection criteria will inevitably lead to speculation.
At the same time, the list of participants from other countries has also attracted attention, and the Japanese team has sent a group of unknown newcomers, Tomokazu Zhangmoto and Misei Ito, who are not familiar faces, and France, Germany and other teams are also in the second and third lineups.
This contrast has exacerbated the dissatisfaction of the fans, and the national table tennis sent a luxury lineup of opponents but did not take it seriously, so what else is there to watch in this game?
【The pains and opportunities of national table tennis】
At the same time as the mixed team World Cup list caused controversy, the wonderful performance in the German championship gave the national table tennis a shot in the arm, and the name Lin Shidong shined in the German arena.
The youngster made it all the way to winning his fifth WTT singles title with a 4-1 win over Sweden's Carlberg in the final, a result that narrowed the gap between him and world No. 1 Chuqin to within 1,700 points.
The rise of Lin Shidong has undoubtedly injected fresh blood into the national table tennis men's team, his playing style is fierce and decisive, and his skills are comprehensive, showing good potential.
In the women's singles, Wang Manyu also showed outstanding strength, she defeated teammate Wang Yidi with a score of 4-2 in the final, she played steadily, and has become the mainstay of the national table tennis women's team.
The outstanding performance of these young players has undoubtedly brought new vitality to national table tennis, and the absence of traditional main players such as Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng may be a signal of this replacement of the old and the new.
Veterans have made great contributions to the national table tennis, but as they get older, they are also facing increasing pressure, how to reasonably arrange their participation and rest, how to maintain their competitive state while taking into account their physical health, are all issues that need to be carefully considered.
At the same time, national table tennis is also facing the problem of how to balance training and preparation with commercial activities, as the commercialization of table tennis is getting higher and higher, the commercial value of players is also increasing.
Therefore, how to reasonably arrange commercial activities while ensuring the quality of training has become one of the problems worth thinking about, which can not only improve the personal income of the players, but also not affect the level of competition.
Just when the undercurrent of the new and old alternates within the national table tennis is surging, the international table tennis world has staged a strange drama of hot and cold, the stage of this scene, on one side is the upcoming Fukuoka Finals, and on the other side is the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup.
So, what are the highlights of these two events?
【The hot and cold battle in the international table tennis world】
The Fukuoka Finals is undoubtedly the final battle of the year, and this match is full of gold, not only with high prize money and points, but also directly affects the qualification for the 2025 World Championships in Doha.
In the face of such an important event, masters from all walks of life are naturally eager to try, and the lineup of national table tennis is particularly eye-catching, Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, the two main players who have not appeared for a long time, finally returned, and Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha and others formed a luxurious lineup.
As soon as this list came out, it immediately sparked a heated discussion among fans, and everyone speculated whether this means that the national table tennis will show its strength in the year-end finals?
However, when people's eyes turned to the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup, they found a completely different situation, except for the national table tennis team sent a luxury lineup, other strong teams seemed to be "rotten".
In this context, the performance of the South Korean team was particularly eye-catching, and they reversed the "Buddhist" attitude of other teams and sent the main lineup such as Jang Woo-jin, Cho Dae-sung, Ahn Jae-hyun, etc., which undoubtedly added a bit of excitement to the already slightly deserted game.
South Korea's approach may reflect their unique strategy, which provides a new way of thinking for other teams to see opportunities to try to make a difference on this stage when other strong teams don't take it seriously.
For the national table tennis team, this situation is both a challenge and an opportunity, in the Fukuoka finals, they will face all the strong opponents from all walks of life, and in the Chengdu World Cup, they will have to maintain their focus and standard in the situation of "seeking defeat alone".
This different atmosphere will undoubtedly test the psychological quality and adaptability of national table tennis players, so in the face of such a situation, how should national table tennis deal with itself?
[Challenges and opportunities coexist]
In the context of the hot and cold intertwined in the international table tennis world, a profound change is quietly unfolding, which is not only related to the future of national table tennis, but also affects the development trend of the entire table tennis world.
The national table tennis team is exploring a more market-oriented and transparent selection path, which is not an easy one, as the controversy over the mixed team World Cup roster shows.
However, this attempt undoubtedly reflects the determination of national table tennis to keep pace with the times, and how to establish a fair and just selection mechanism while ensuring the level of competition is a major challenge for national table tennis.
This change is not only to deal with the current doubts, but also for the long-term development of national table tennis, and the transparent selection mechanism can stimulate the enthusiasm of players and win the trust of the public.
At the same time, the ITTF is also facing the challenge of how to improve the attractiveness of the event, and the phenomenon of "rotten" teams in the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup has made everyone see the problems existing in the current competition system.
Therefore, it is also necessary to design a competition system that can not only attract top players to participate, but also ensure the excitement of the competition, which can reduce the dissatisfaction of the masses and ensure the interests of the athletes.
It is worth noting that countries have adopted different strategies in this transformation, which reflects the diversification of table tennis competition, with some countries choosing to focus on developing new talents, while others are committed to building all-round players.
But what we know for sure is that we don't want our athletes to suffer, and whatever way it is, we just need to be respectful.
【Conclusion】
The transformation of the table tennis world is not only about the level of competition, but also about the commercial value and social influence of table tennis.
In the current era, every participant in the table tennis world needs to embrace change with an open and innovative attitude, so that table tennis can continue to be vigorous and energetic in the new historical stage.
Finally, we believe that national table tennis can continue to grow in the face of challenges, and new table tennis players can make greater contributions to the development of China's table tennis industry.
Resources:
On November 11, 2024, China Youth Network reported on "Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup Participant List Announced, Led by Chinese Team Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin".
On November 11, 2024, Qilu One Point reported on "The list of national table tennis participants in the WTT Fukuoka Finals is released, and Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Chen Meng return".
Guangming Network reported on November 11, 2024 on "WTT Fukuoka Finals Bonus Points Distribution".