Chinese table tennis stars welcome WTT rule changes after rankings row
China's Olympic champions have expressed their approval after global table tennis chiefs' decision to change several of the rules that prompted three of the country's top names to withdraw from the world rankings.
On Tuesday, World Table Tennis (WTT) removed the mandatory participation requirement at all Grand Smash events and introduced direct entry for Olympic champions.
Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin and Wang Manyu, who won gold in the table tennis team events at the Paris Games, welcomed the changes.
'[I'm] very happy, [after] competing at the Olympics, players require a long time to think and plan, so this is a privilege to Olympic champions,' Sun said late on Thursday.
In December, Olympic champions Fan Zhendong, Ma Long and Chen Meng shocked the sport when they announced that they had withdrawn from the world rankings. China's table tennis star Fan Zhendong has yet to comment on the WTT's rule changes. Photo: AFP
The trio cited the physical toll and an inability to pull out of WTT events without facing fines as key reasons behind their decision.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Fans want Fan Zhendong rushed back into China table tennis team after perfect showing
Chinese table tennis fans have urged the national team to recall Fan Zhendong and put him back on the international stage after the Olympic champion returned to action with some sizzling form and impressive results this week. Advertisement At the opening leg of the new China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) season, which concluded in Hebei on Wednesday, Fan won all seven of his men's singles ties, including beating world No 1 Lin Shidong 3-2. A Weibo hashtag praising Fan – who does not have a world ranking – for beating the men's top player subsequently went viral. '10 months without international appearances and six [months] without any matches, yet still could beat the world No 1, Fan is still the King,' one commentator said. Another commentator said: 'No matches in 160 days, who knows how much effort he put in to maintain this level of competitiveness.' Other comments included one saying 'The national team needed Fan' and 'It was a great loss for the table tennis world' to not have Fan playing in international competitions.
RTHK
9 hours ago
- RTHK
McIntosh smashes another world record in 400m medley
McIntosh smashes another world record in 400m medley It was the third world record broken by McIntosh in the span of five days. File photo: AFP Summer McIntosh bagged her third world record in days after clocking 4 minutes 23.65 seconds to better her own 400 medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. The 18-year-old Canadian prodigy, a three-time Olympic gold medallist, laid down another impressive marker ahead of next month's World Championships in Singapore with a dominant performance. McIntosh's blistering time beat her old mark of 4 minutes 24.38 seconds set in Toronto in May last year at the Canadian Olympic trials. McIntosh's assault on her own world record got off to a smooth start, with the teenager completing the opening butterfly leg in world record pace. She was more than a second ahead of the world record at the halfway stage, and although that margin dropped to one-tenth of a second after the breaststroke, she produced an electrifying freestyle down the stretch to complete a scintillating performance. "Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career," McIntosh said afterwards in a pool deck interview. "World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible," she added. "That really keeps me going, because I know there's always going to be the next generation of kids growing up, and they're going to be chasing the record. So I've gotta give them my best effort to see how long it can stand." Wednesday's record-breaking display was the latest entry to an impressive catalogue of performances she has produced this week in British Columbia. On Saturday, she smashed the women's 400m freestyle record, slicing more than a second off Australian star Ariarne Titmus's world best from 2023. She then clocked the third fastest 800m freestyle in history on Sunday, before diving back into the pool on Monday to obliterate Hungarian great Katinka Hosszu's decade-old 200m medley world record. McIntosh, who gold medals in the 200m butterfly, 200m medley and 400m medley at last year's Paris Olympics, will now head to next month's worlds aiming to add to her collection of four world championship gold medals. (AFP)
RTHK
15 hours ago
- RTHK
Australia fight back in WTC final against South Africa
Australia fight back in WTC final against South Africa Australia players celebrate on the field during day one of the ICC World Test Championship. Photo: AFP Mitchell Starc led Australia's recovery as the defending champions fought back with the ball against South Africa on the first day of the World Test Championship final at Lord's. Australia were dismissed for just 212 after South Africa captain Temba Bavuma won the toss in bowler-friendly conditions, with pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada taking 5-51. But at stumps South Africa had slumped to 43-4 in reply, a deficit of 169 runs, as Starc finished the day with figures of 2-10 in seven overs. South Africa's Marco Jansen, who took 3-49, admitted it had been a mixed day for the Proteas. "Bowling-wise I think we did really well," he said. "They bowled well and we are going to have our work cut out for us tomorrow." Given the strength of both teams' pace attacks, the key question was always likely to be which side could put enough runs on the scoreboard. Australia's total certainly looked a lot healthier when left-arm quick Starc had Aiden Markram playing on for a duck before dismissing Ryan Rickelton (16) to leave South Africa floundering at 19-2. Novice number three Wiaan Mulder, dropped on one, was bowled by Australia captain Pat Cummins, having taken 44 balls to make six. And shortly before the close, Josh Hazlewood bowled Tristan Stubbs. Australia had earlier slumped to 67-4 at lunch. But star batsman Steve Smith (66) and all-rounder Beau Webster (72) repaired the damage with a fifth-wicket stand of 79. "Two good bowling outfits, it was tough work for the batters," Webster told the BBC. "We've got a score on the board and to grab four scalps at the end of the day, I think we're pretty happy." Webster, however, would have been lbw to Rabada for eight if South Africa had reviewed an original not out decision. "There were a couple of reviews throughout the day which could've gone either way," said Webster. "The degree of seam movement up the slope was tricky." Australia were in desperate trouble in the early overs, reduced to 16-2 after losing Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in a single Rabada over. The 30-year-old, who has more than 300 Test wickets, is playing his first Test after serving a one-month ban for cocaine use earlier this year. "It means a lot for me playing for South Africa, I give my all each and every time. I am so happy to do the job out there," Rabada told Sky Sports. Australia have struggled to find an opening partner for Khawaja since David Warner's retirement 17 months ago, with Marnus Labuschagne the latest batsman tried out. The 30-year-old, without a Test century for nearly two years, battled hard for 17 off 56 balls before falling to towering left-armer Jansen. Australia had been in similar trouble in the 2023 final against India across London at The Oval, only for Smith and Travis Head to both score hundreds as they turned the match in their favour. Head, however, could only manage 11 before he glanced Jansen, with Kyle Verreynne holding an excellent diving one-handed catch. Smith went to fifty before falling to part-time spinner Markram after Jansen, at slip, clung on at the third attempt. Australia lost their last five wickets for just 20 runs, with Rabada ending the innings when he bowled Starc. Rabada's haul meant he surpassed Allan Donald's tally of 330 Test wickets in his 71st match compared to the retired South Africa great's 72 Tests. "That's awesome," said Rabada. "Allan Donald, what a legend, it means a lot to get past someone like him." (AFP)
