Olympic Champion Clears the Air About World Table Tennis Controversy

Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, both Olympic World Table Tennis gold medalists from the 2024 Paris Games, recently caused a stir by pulling out of the International Table Tennis Federation rankings. The reason? They’re not happy about the fines for skipping certain WTT-sanctioned tournaments. So, what did this 27-year-old Olympic Champion have to say?

Zhendong took to Weibo to voice his frustration, saying, “When this specifically happened, I’m not sure, but I’m certain that I’ve never been officially informed that I would be fined for withdrawing from competition. I personally received the official notice last week, that from next year, WTT would strictly enforce the newly enacted penalties.” Seems a bit odd, right? How could such big names in table tennis not know about a rule that affects them directly?

World Table Tennis (WTT) quickly responded, defending the fines and pointing out that the rules weren’t new, players just hadn’t been paying attention. They also mentioned that the changes for 2025 were made after gathering feedback from top players. That’s where it gets interesting. WTT is sweetening the deal by boosting the prize pool by 20% and adjusting the winnings distribution, so the final rounds of major events will offer bigger payouts. But there’s a catch: if players compete in a non-WTT event while skipping a WTT event, they’ll face even steeper fines than before.

“This adjustment reflects the value of top-tier WTT events in the global table tennis ecosystem and reinforces the importance of prioritizing these events, “ World Table Tennis explained. Fair or harsh? WTT’s goal seems to be pushing top players to prioritize their events, but does that always align with what the players want?

The situation also raises some deeper questions about the relationship between China’s table tennis leadership and its stars. The rules seem to have come straight from Liu Guoliang, the former Olympic champion turned head of Chinese table tennis, who now holds significant influence at WTT and ITTF. It’s curious, though, could this clash be more about internal politics than just tournament rules? Even French player Simon Gauzy didn’t accept WTT’s explanation.

Simon Gauzy and other players voice frustration on World Table Tennis’ new rules

When World Table Tennis (WTT) attempted to address the growing backlash over their recent rule changes by confirming the 2025 tournament calendar ahead of the new year, their statement was met with resistance from players, including French star Simon Gauzy, who took to social media to express his frustration. “Telling the facts without any changes, that is what you are doing. We are losing icons of our sport because of those ‘rules’,” he wrote. “You can’t ignore the fact that this is not helping the players. It’s time for a REAL change.”

The controversy deepened after Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng made their bold move to withdraw from the rankings, with Zhendong igniting the firestorm that he wished to be removed from the World Table Tennis rankings, though he would continue competing in China’s National Games. WTT responded by emphasizing their respect for both athletes, acknowledging their impact as icons of the sport. However, they stood firm on their position, defending the rules as consistent with practices in other professional sports. They also reiterated their commitment to supporting players, leaving the door open for their return.

But the debate continues: Are these changes truly in the best interest of the athletes, or are they prioritizing commercial interests over the players’ well-being? The tension between WTT’s goals and player concerns shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon.