Latest news with #tabletennis
Free Malaysia Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Free Malaysia Today
China's Sun retains table tennis world title
Sun Yingsha outwitted her opponent in a thrilling final to clinch gold with a 4-3 victory. (EPA Images pic) DOHA : World No 1 Sun Yingsha overcame a stubborn challenge from compatriot Wang Manyu to retain her world title, outwitting the world No 2 in a thrilling final to clinch gold with a 4-3 victory in Doha today. Former champion Wang, who beat Sun in the 2021 final, fought back from two games down and saved four championship points to take the contest down to the wire. 'We have played each other many times since childhood. So every time we meet in the finals, it would be a tough match,' Sun said. The 24-year-old started well, winning the first two games 11-6, 12-10. Wang bounced back to dominate the next two games, and was a point away from winning the fifth but Sun saved the game point took it 12-10. Sun quickly took a 10-6 lead in the sixth game, putting her a point away from winning the championship, but Wang held her nerve to win the next three points. The defending champion pushed for victory with a forehand that Wang barely got her paddle to, but the ball soared up high and nicked the table, putting Wang level at 10-10. Wang seized the momentum to win the sixth game 13-11 and took a 3-0 lead in the decisive seventh. 'At that time my mentality fluctuated a little bit,' Sun admitted. Sun, who had beaten Wang in nine of their previous 10 meetings, rallied to win the seventh game 11-7, however, to secure the title. 'Every day I fought hard… and I cherished each game. And I'm extremely happy I managed to stand till the last,' Sun added. Japan won the men's doubles title for the first time in 64 years, with Hiroto Shinozuka and Shunsuke Togami edging out Taiwan's Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui 3-2. Witness football history in Malaysia as Manchester United take on the Asean All-Stars – it's the clash you can't afford to miss. Book your seat now at before they're gone!
New York Times
25-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Qatari Push to Dominate Another Sport, Table Tennis, Draws Scrutiny
In a near-empty venue in a near-empty patch of desert on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar's capital, table tennis stars unfurled deadly slices and killer smashes last week as they vied to be crowned world champion. Behind the scenes, another battle was playing out with just as much ferocity, as a wealthy Qatari businessman sought the presidency of the governing body of international table tennis, the latest example of Gulf interests trying to extend their influence over global sports. For many people, table tennis may evoke images of college dorms or suburban basements, but it is one of the world's most popular sports and a growing commercial force, particularly in East Asia. Interviews with dozens of the sport's current and former officials and players have cast light on the rising power of Gulf nations like Qatar and raised concerns about a history of bribery and lavish spending by Qatari officials, both in table tennis and in other sports. Last Monday, a Swiss whistle-blower who has tangled with Khalil Al-Mohannadi, the Qatari businessman who hopes to be elected president of the International Table Tennis Federation this week, was detained at the sport's world championships in Doha. The man, Georg Silberschmidt, a former official with Swiss Table Tennis, was surrounded by more than 20 security personnel and taken into custody after passing out fliers for a new players' union meant to promote athletes' rights. For 24 hours, he and two employees of the players' union were interrogated, put in prison cells and pressured to sign documents in Arabic, a language they do not speak. A member of the union was shown a photo of Mr. Silberschmidt by a representative of the Qatar Table Tennis Association and told that the Swiss man had broken the law. Mr. Silberschmidt and the two other people detained were later released without charges and left the country. 'I don't think I will ever go back to Qatar,' Mr. Silberschmidt said. The International Table Tennis Federation's presidential election is Tuesday, and its integrity unit is investigating whether Mr. Al-Mohannadi or people supporting him are trying to influence the vote through monetary means, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. The integrity unit declined to confirm or comment on specific cases under investigation. But in a statement to The New York Times, the federation said that because of 'the significance of our upcoming elections,' it had 'engaged leading professional support specialized in the sector to ensure compliance and enforcement.' 'In response to recent allegations concerning certain candidates, we reiterate our absolute commitment to free, fair and clean elections,' the statement said. Mr. Al-Mohannadi, who is currently the federation's senior executive vice president, did not respond to repeated queries from The New York Times. Few people in the table tennis world are willing to criticize him publicly. His rivals in the presidential election are the Swedish incumbent, Petra Sörling, and Mohamed El Hacen Ahmed Salem of Mauritania. Mr. Al-Mohannadi has been associated with the federation for decades. After he was elected its deputy president in 2005, accusations mounted that the Qatar Table Tennis Association had engaged in vote-buying. Delegates spoke of money stuffed in envelopes and travel expenses being covered in return for support from nations in Africa and Eastern Europe. The case was brought to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. After receiving testimony from more than a dozen witnesses who described a range of electoral irregularities, the arbitrator ruled that there was 'convincing evidence that bribery did take place.' The election was annulled, and Mr. Al-Mohannadi did not run in the next one, held in 2006. But in 2014, he was again voted in as deputy president. Though there is little local interest in table tennis in Qatar, it has hosted the world championships twice. Mr. Al-Mohannadi, who used to work for the Qatari government as an under secretary and at the state broadcaster, has promoted the sport for more than 30 years. 'When we say Qatar has become the home of world table tennis, we are not exaggerating,' Mr. Al-Mohannadi told local news media. In recent years, Qatar has been raising its global profile through sports. It has naturalized athletes from other nations to compete in the Olympics and has played host to major international events, most famously the men's soccer World Cup in 2022. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, officials for FIFA, soccer's governing body, were bribed to vote for Qatar to host that tournament, in what many consider one of the dirtiest votes in sports history. Qatar denies all the allegations. Qatar has also held world championships in athletics, handball and artistic gymnastics. On the eve of the table tennis championships in Doha, Qatari officials boasted that tickets had sold fast. Chinese fans, who are among the sport's most avid, complained that they couldn't get seats. But at many of the early matches, the stands were devoid of spectators, except for officials and players' entourages. There are 227 member associations in the table tennis federation — more than in the United Nations — and each voting representative in the election Tuesday is eligible for about a weeklong stay in Qatar, with flights and luxury accommodations covered. In 2021, Swiss Table Tennis and its German counterpart raised various concerns about Mr. Al-Mohannadi, including his ownership of a Qatari sports company that imported table tennis equipment, something that the federation's rules appear to forbid. (Mr. Al-Mohannadi eventually transferred the company to a family member.) The federation's then-president suspended Mr. Al-Mohannadi from his vice-presidential duties over those concerns. But an internal investigation by the federation absolved Mr. Al-Mohannadi. Board members who were supportive of him said they had lost faith in the president, who left the federation soon afterward. Swiss Table Tennis, under new leadership, later apologized for its complaint against Mr. Al-Mohannadi, singling out Mr. Silberschmidt, who had left the organization for unrelated reasons, for responsibility. Several officials with the international federation who had conflicts with Mr. Al-Mohannadi and his supporters have left their jobs. Mr. Al-Mohannadi is also a director of World Table Tennis, the federation's commercial arm, which is run through a web of companies that extends across three continents and several tax havens. Five people who served on table tennis boards with Mr. Al-Mohannadi said he was rarely interested in the details of governance, often staying away from meetings for long stretches of time. He occasionally spoke up to complain that the hotel suites in which federation officials were staying were lacking, they said. The current accommodations for federation delegates who have gathered in Doha for the election on Tuesday, one member from the Caribbean said, are 'spectacular.'
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.'
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Red alert: Bright tables have table tennis players squinting at world champs
World table tennis championships in Doha. Photo: AFP Table tennis players are seeing red as the bright tables at the world Championships have left them squinting, grumbling and even reaching for sunglasses. While tables in the fast-paced sport are usually blue, dark green or black, the ones at the ongoing World Table Tennis Championships in Doha are red - and many players are not happy about it. "It gets very unusual at times. If the light shines on the table, you get a very dazzling effect, where you might lose sight of the ball. Which is... yeah, very unusual, really," Norwegian player Borgar Haug told state broadcaster NRK earlier this week. "There were some funny ones in the training hall who started wearing sunglasses when they played, because it got so bright," Haug added. His concerns were echoed by other players, who are also struggling to adapt to the colour. "I have never played on red tables - no one has," Swedish player Truls Moregard told the news agency TT. The finals in the Qatari capital will take place on 25 May. - Reuters
CNA
22-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Table tennis-Red alert: bright tables cause controversy at World Championships
(Changes 'on Thursday' to 'earlier this week' in third paragraph) Table tennis players are seeing red as the bright tables at the current World Championships have left them squinting, grumbling and even reaching for sunglasses. While tables in the fast-paced sport are usually blue, dark green or black, the ones at the ongoing World Table Tennis Championships in Doha are red - and many players are not happy about it. "It gets very unusual at times. If the light shines on the table, you get a very dazzling effect, where you might lose sight of the ball. Which is... yeah, very unusual, really," Norwegian player Borgar Haug told state broadcaster NRK earlier this week. "There were some funny ones in the training hall who started wearing sunglasses when they played, because it got so bright," Haug added. His concerns were echoed by other players, who are also struggling to adapt to the colour. The finals in the Qatari capital will take place on May 25.
