Latest news with #FanZhendong
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Fan Zhendong signs Bundesliga deal, official calls it ‘huge moment for table tennis'
Chinese star Fan Zhendong is set to return to action at club level after signing for German outfit 1. FC Saarbrücken to play in the Table Tennis Bundesliga. In a statement released on the club's website on Sunday, Fan said he could not wait for the new season to start. The Olympic champion, who has withdrawn from International Table Tennis Federation events in a row over rankings, has largely been out of action since winning gold in Paris last summer, playing only in national championships and the Chinese Table Tennis Super League. 'I'm really looking forward to the new challenge in Saarbrucken and in the TTBL,' Fan told his new club's website. 'I'm really excited to be part of this club, get to know a new environment – and celebrate many successes together with the team.' Nicolas Barrois, the Saarbruken general manager, said bringing the three-time Olympic gold medallist to the club, who finished third in the TTBL last season, was an unbelievable opportunity. Sweden's Truls Moregard is also part of the Saarbrucken team. Photo: AFP 'It happened so fast, so much so that we still find it difficult to believe it 100 per cent, but it's real,' he said. 'It wasn't just a milestone in terms of competition, it's also a huge moment for our club and table tennis in Germany and Europe.'
South China Morning Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Chinese fans fear for future of men's table tennis after historic doubles defeat
China suffered their worst men's doubles results in 50 years at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships on Thursday, sending fans into fits of despair and questioning what the country would do if Fan Zhendong did not return to the side. Lin Shidong and Lin Gaoyuan were humbled 3-1 by Chinese Taipei's Lin Yunju and Kao Chengjui in the quarter-finals in Doha. Lin and Kao, the sixth seeds, had also dispatched Liang Jingkun and Huang Youzheng in the previous round. Defeat marked the first time since the 1975 championships in Kolkata, India, that a Chinese team had not made the semi-finals of the men's doubles. Fans took to social media to voice their criticism of the third seeds, with one saying the future was 'hard to predict', asking who the country could count on 'without Ma Long and Fan Zhendong?' One commentator joked that the men's team's setback would continue, but fans should not worry because 'it will be worse, except for the women's singles, which are slightly stable'. Lin Gaoyuan (top left) and Lin Shidong (top right) during the men's doubles quarter-final. Photo: Xinhua Another commentator summed up the general feeling among fans, writing: 'In short, the Chinese men's team is hopeless. Just wait and see. The next Olympics will be a disaster without Ma and Fan.'
Tom's Guide
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Tom's Guide
How to watch ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2025 – live stream, TV channels, schedule
Is China's table tennis stranglehold (ever so slightly) slackening? Chinese athletes swept the board at the last ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals two years ago, and have won both the men's and women's singles at 10 straight editions of the tournament, dating all the way back to 2005, but Brazil's Hugo Calderano is poised to challenge that dominance. Read on and we'll explain how you can watch ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals live streams from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for FREE. The 2025 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals run from Saturday, May 17 to Sunday, May 25. Sessions typically start at 3 a.m. ET and 9:30 a.m. ET.• FREE STREAM — Watch on YouTube (Brazil), SVT Play (Sweden)• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free With reigning men's champion Fan Zhendong retired, world No.1 Lin Shindong making his ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals debut and No.2 Wang Chuqin out of form, change could be afoot. Having beaten Lin, Wang and then-No.3 Tomokazu Harimoto en route to World Cup glory last month, Calderano's belief will be sky-high. World No.1 Sun Yingsha leads the women's singles, sharing the same half of the draw as Wang Yidi. Their compatriots Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong have been kept apart on the opposite side of the draw. One especially fascinating collision course to keep an eye on is that of Lebrun brothers Felix and Alexis, who are doubles partners and potential single opponents. The No.6 and No.9 seeds may set up a family affair at the last 16 stage in Doha. There's no U.S. stream sadly, but read on as we reveal how to watch ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals live streams from anywhere. Fans can look forward to free ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals coverage in select territories. The tournament is available to watch for FREE on the CazeTV YouTube channel in Brazil; on the RMC Sport Twitch channelin France, Andorra, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Mauritius; and on SVT Playin Sweden. Abroad? There's an easy solution. Use a VPN to watch ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals for free from anywhere — try NordVPN, we find it works great. Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching the table tennis finals on your subscriptions? You can still watch your usual ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals live stream thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software makes your devices appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So it's ideal for fans away on vacation or on business. NordVPN is our top choice at the moment, and our NordVPN review explains why. If you've heard of NordVPN, there's a good reason: We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's outstanding at unblocking streaming services, it's fast and it has top-level security features too. With over 7,000 servers, across 110+ countries, and at a great price too, it's easy to recommend. Get 70% off with this NordVPN deal Unfortunately, the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals appear to have slipped through the cracks in the U.S.. If you're on holiday in the U.S. from a country where coverage is available, one of the best VPN services will help tap into your preferred ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals stream. We recommend NordVPN. The ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals aren't available to watch in Canada. However, a VPN like NordVPN will help you tap into coverage from elsewhere, if you're currently traveling in Canada from abroad. Bad news, Brits — it doesn't look like any channels are airing the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in the U.K.. If you're on holiday in the U.K. from Brazil, Sweden, China, France, Andorra, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland or Mauritius, you could use one of the best VPN services to enable you to tap into your home coverage of the tournament. We recommend NordVPN. The ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals haven't found a broadcasting partner in Australia either. One of the best VPN services will help tap into your home coverage of the table tennis, if you're currently on holiday Down Under. We recommend NordVPN. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
South China Morning Post
16-03-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Table tennis row sign of imbalance in sport power structure
The sudden withdrawal of three of China's top table tennis players from the global rankings shocked the sport. Advertisement Fan Zhendong, Chen Meng and Ma Long, who have 14 Olympic gold medals between them, pulled out late last year, ending their participation in tournaments run by the sport's governing body. The drastic move was sparked by new rules on fines for players skipping competitions run by World Table Tennis (WTT), the commercial arm of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). There was widespread support for the players, especially from their fans. Fan and Chen took to social media to highlight the negative impact on player welfare of requirements that they meet a packed schedule. Facing a backlash, WTT sensibly supported the ITTF's setting up of a task force to reconsider the changes. Advertisement Players, coaches and administrators from around the world provided feedback at meetings in Singapore last month. There was, importantly, a dedicated session with Chinese players and officials. This led to a WTT announcement that the rules would be further changed. The mandatory participation requirement for the four WTT Grand Smash tournaments was removed. Two annual exemptions will also be granted to players from competing in six Champions events.
South China Morning Post
16-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Former China coach Wu attacks World Table Tennis, state of ‘national game'
Published: 12:00pm, 16 Feb 2025 A former coach of China's national table tennis team has launched a scathing attack on the state of the game, arguing that it is wrapped up in commercial interests and does not respect athletes. Wu Jingping singled out the actions of World Table Tennis (WTT), slamming the body for prompting his former protégé Fan Zhendong – the Olympic champion in men's singles at the Paris Games – to withdraw from the global rankings. Wu, who coached the Chinese national team from 1991 to 2021, also said that today's table tennis was no longer the national game he grew up with. 'It is very sad to see the mess that table tennis has become,' Wu wrote on Weibo on Saturday. 'When the 'national game' is wrapped up by capital to stand for commercial competitions, it has already changed. China's Paris Olympics singles champion Fan Zhendong withdraw from the global rankings. Photo: Xinhua 'Now the 'national game' is no longer the 'national game' that we have been fighting for for decades, and the foundation created by our older generation has been almost squandered.'
