Latest news with #TimoBoll
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Timo Boll becomes BVB brand ambassador
'Boll is still Boll, the warm-hearted, down-to-earth superstar from the Odenwald. If there were an Olympic gold medal for being normal and decent, Boll would certainly win it. At a World Championship, he once had his victory annulled because the ball had touched the edge of the table unnoticed on match point. The point was repeated and Boll lost, but he had a clean conscience. (...) Whether it's Shanghai or Beijing, Boll can't go anywhere without being recognised. They've even closed down streets so he can cross them,' Süddeutsche Zeitung once said of Timo Boll. And it is on those very streets that the seven-time Olympian (and serial medal winner), eight-time Champions League winner and eight-time European singles champion, who was the first German to be ranked No. 1 in the world in table-tennis, will be representing Borussia Dortmund in the future. 'Combining the larger football with the smaller table tennis ball makes sense here because Timo Boll, as a long-time fan, has cheered on BVB in every match in the past despite all the stresses and strains of travelling and tournaments, and has always been very emotional in his fandom. Thanks to his enormous popularity and positivity in Asia, he can open relevant doors for us and authentically represent us as a brand ambassador. We look forward to many joint activities with Timo and to an intensive cooperation in the digital world as well,' said Borussia Dortmund's Managing Director Carsten Cramer. Boll, who retired as a player only a few months ago, will – at his own request – complete an internship at BVB lasting several weeks, among other things, so that he can get to know the club and its various fields of work in Germany and beyond even better during that time. He is now BVB's fifth brand ambassador – and the only one without a professional football background. In addition to Timo Boll, Dortmund icons Karl-Heinz Riedle, Jörg Heinrich, Roman Weidenfeller and Patrick Owomoyela regularly fly the Black & Yellow flag around the world. Timo Boll is looking forward to the task of representing BVB, particularly in China: 'It will certainly be exciting when I suddenly find myself on football pitches instead of in table tennis halls.' He went on to explain: 'There's a simple reason for the internship. I was once asked if I could imagine going into an office every morning at 9 o'clock. I replied that I didn't know because I've only ever been in training halls since I was a child. Now I want to see what I'll be doing for the next 20 years. With that in mind, BVB is a really exciting challenge for me.'
Straits Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Table tennis-Chinese fans bid emotional farewell to retiring 'Uncle Boll'
FILE PHOTO: Paris 2024 Olympics - Table Tennis - Men's Team Quarterfinals - South Paris Arena 4, Paris, France - August 06, 2024. Timo Boll of Germany reacts during his quarterfinal match against Anton Kallberg of Sweden. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji Chinese table tennis fans bid an emotional farewell to their 'Uncle Boll', German former world number one Timo Boll who challenged China's long-time dominance of the sport. The 44-year-old, who retired from international competition last year with four Olympic medals (two silver and two bronze), played his final professional match in Frankfurt on Sunday. "Thank you to the Chinese fans for your deep affection that crossed national borders," Boll posted on Weibo after his team lost the Bundesliga final. "From Ma Lin to Fan Zhendong, every clash with a great opponent has been one of my most cherished honours," Boll said, referring to two Chinese Olympic champions. The post received millions of views in China, where table tennis is widely regarded as the country's national sport. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Chinese fans bid emotional farewell to retiring 'Uncle Boll'
June 17 (Reuters) - Chinese table tennis fans bid an emotional farewell to their 'Uncle Boll', German former world number one Timo Boll who challenged China's long-time dominance of the sport. The 44-year-old, who retired from international competition last year with four Olympic medals (two silver and two bronze), played his final professional match in Frankfurt on Sunday. "Thank you to the Chinese fans for your deep affection that crossed national borders," Boll posted on Weibo after his team lost the Bundesliga final. "From Ma Lin to Fan Zhendong, every clash with a great opponent has been one of my most cherished honours," Boll said, referring to two Chinese Olympic champions. The post received millions of views in China, where table tennis is widely regarded as the country's national sport.
Free Malaysia Today
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
‘Farewell, Comrade Boll': Chinese fans hail German table tennis ace
Four-time Olympic medallist Timo Boll thanked fans for their 'thunderous support' on Weibo. (AFP pic) BEIJING : Chinese table tennis fans today bade a heartfelt farewell to the retiring Timo Boll, Germany's former world No 1 known fondly as 'Uncle Boll' by millions in the Asian country. The 44-year-old played his last professional match on Sunday in Frankfurt as his domestic team lost the Bundesliga final in Frankfurt. It made headlines in China and on the X-like Weibo platform a related hash tag had more than 4 million views as of noon today. Writing in Chinese and German on Weibo, four-time Olympic medallist Boll thanked fans for their 'thunderous support'. 'Thank you to the Chinese fans for your deep affection that crossed national borders,' he wrote to his nearly 800,000 followers. 'From Ma Lin to Fan Zhendong, every clash with a great opponent has been one of my most cherished honours,' Boll added, referring to two Chinese table tennis giants and Olympic champions. Table tennis is widely considered China's national sport and is played recreationally across the country. China has dominated the sport at the Olympics since it was introduced as a medal event in 1988, winning 37 of the 42 gold medals. They won all five titles at the Paris Games last summer. Boll never quite reached those heights during a career spanning three decades, but retires with two Olympic silvers and two bronzes, all in team competition. He was widely admired by table tennis fans in China as one of the few non-Chinese players who challenged the country's dominance, especially in the 2000s and 2010s. Following his final event in the country a year ago, Boll called China his second home. 'You can see I still have some tears in my eyes,' Boll, who won 20 European titles in singles, doubles and team events, said at the time. Boll said in a 2019 interview that he had learnt 'a little bit' of Chinese and had 'many Chinese friends'. Chinese fans expressed strong emotions this week as Boll bowed out. 'Farewell, Comrade Boll. We wave goodbye with both smiles and tears,' said one Weibo user. 'Uncle Boll's table tennis career has been long and brilliant,' said another, adding 'he influenced an entire generation'. State news agency Xinhua described Boll as having a 'storied career at the sport's highest level'.
South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
‘Farewell, Comrade Boll': China fans hail retiring German table tennis ace
Chinese table tennis fans have bid a heartfelt farewell to the retiring Timo Boll, Germany's former world No 1 known fondly as 'Uncle Boll' by millions in the Asian country. Advertisement The 44-year-old played his last professional match on Sunday in Frankfurt as his domestic team lost the Bundesliga final in Frankfurt. It made headlines in China and on the X-like Weibo platform a related hashtag had more than four million views as of noon Tuesday. Writing in Chinese and German on Weibo, four-time Olympic medallist Boll thanked fans for their 'thunderous support'. 'Thank you to the Chinese fans for your deep affection that crossed national borders,' he wrote to his nearly 800,000 followers. Advertisement 'From Ma Lin to Fan Zhendong, every clash with a great opponent has been one of my most cherished honours,' Boll added, referring to two Chinese table tennis giants and Olympic champions.
