After Chinese table tennis trio withdraw from rankings, ITTF sets up task force
Vow to review rules and gather feedback from players following withdrawals of Fan Zhendong, Chen Meng and Ma Long
The world governing body for table tennis announced that it had created a task force to gather feedback from players and review regulations following the pull-outs of three Chinese stars from the world rankings.
The move by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) comes after Olympic champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng stunned Chinese table tennis fans late last month by announcing they had withdrawn from the ITTF rankings.
When the world rankings were updated on Tuesday, they showed that another Chinese Olympic hero, Ma Long, had also removed himself.
In a statement on its website on Friday, the ITTF said it was “fully committed to creating a supportive environment for players’ well-being and fostering open dialogue within the entire table tennis community”.
It said “players, their entourage and coaches, as well as related ITTF bodies” would be consulted extensively, and it would hold a players’ forum at the World Table Tennis’ Singapore Smash 2025 from January 30 to February 9, where concerns could be raised.
Members of the task force include Sharath Kamal Achanta, co-chair of the ITTF Athletes Commission; the ITTF’s executive vice-presidents Alaa Meshref and Wahid Oshodi; World Table Tennis (WTT) executive director of events Mounir Bessah; and Polona Cehovin, the WTT head of player relations.
