WTT has once again shown that it’s a completely incompetent organization that has zero interest in the development of table tennis. Business over everything.
Fan Zhendong announced that he’s retiring from international competitions. The reigning Olympic champion. At the age of 27…
Those, who praised WTT for popularizing sport in the comments – are you happy now? Table tennis loses its best player at the peak of his powers. And the worst thing about it – there will be silence.
From the first years of WTT it was already clear that its system has flaws and WTT is simply a business scheme, hidden under good-sounding slogans of table tennis development and popularization. Can you imagine the UEFA Champions League forcing Lionel Messi out of the competition in his prime just because he got an injury or missed a few games? Can you imagine LeBron James being banned by the NBA due to load management? If we use analogies, it’s what happened in table tennis today. The rubbish system created by the WTT and backed by ITTF has forced Fan Zhendong out of the international arena.
Disgrace. Football and basketball at least have a strong media presence and journalists, who will criticize those organizations for every slightest mistake they make. In table tennis, it’s an empty void. Adam Bobrow is a paid puppet of ITTF and WTT. Outside of his clowning and being buddies with everyone, he will never speak up against any issues in table tennis. The same goes with Pongfinity, Table Tennis Daily, and other table tennis personalities with a large following. Let’s be friends, let’s promote WTT tournaments to sell some extra rubbers or get another selfie with Timo! Well done, lads!
If anyone wonders – what happened to Fan Zhendong, here’s an explanation of how it works in World Table Tennis in terms of World Ranking.
If you’re a top player – you MUST play in WTT-organized major tournaments. Reason A – you need those ranking points to be relevant before the major tournaments, such as the Olympic Games, the World Table Tennis Championships, and so on. Reason B – WTT needs you to get that money bag. To tell the sponsors: “Look, Fan Zhendong played at our Smash!” It’s all about money. WTT does not give a damn about players, their careers, or the development of it. In return, WTT gives laughable prize money that barely covers travel/coaching expenses for the majority of the players who compete in their tournaments. They even have the audacity to brag about the record sums being won in 2024! Wang Chuqin won $250 000! Some local Chinese tournaments have paid close to that in the past…
WTT has created an absurd system, where its tournaments are worth more than the Olympics, WTT, and continental championships. A system that forces players to participate in their tournaments or get fined if they don’t. Fan Zhendong won the Olympics, he’s still the best player in the World – but he decided to give it up and retire because of the idiotic system WTT imposes. Table Tennis is an individual sport where an individual cannot decide for himself – when to participate in a tournament or not. It’s absurd.
As long as organizations, such as WTT, ITTF, and ETTU will run table tennis and keep their money-oriented policies over the ones that should promote the sport and make it more attractive for young athletes – table tennis is doomed. Or does anyone actually believe that parents will be excited to send their kids into a sport that 10 years later will bring an opportunity to come back home with 300 euros won at the WTT Feeder?
Hopefully, after such news, there will be some public backlash from table tennis players/influencers, and fans. Some #BoycottWTT comments in their YouTube live streams and videos or something like that. If there will be zero pushback and attention, then don’t complain about camera angles or anything else. You get what you support. These are the table tennis news we currently deserve. Sadly.
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