Liu laments player boycott
Former chief of the Chinese national table tennis team Liu Guoliang said on Tuesday he feels “responsible” for three of the nation’s top players boycotting a recent international event.
Liu made the remark four days after three players and two coaches pulled out of the China Open on June 23 in protest at the Chinese Table Tennis Association’s decision to remove Liu as the team’s chief.
Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin — Nos 1, 2 and 3 in the men’s world rankings — did not appear for their second-round singles matches at the ITTF China Open in Chengdu.
Before the competition, the three players and coaches Qin Zhijian and Ma Lin posted identical messages on their socialmedia accounts, saying they “had no desire to fight” because they missed Liu Guoliang.
Liu said on Tuesday on his social-media account that he was not aware of anything before the withdrawals, but he still feels responsible since he had been the men’s team head coach for 14 years and the team chief for four years.
“I think Chinese sports reform must be enforced,” Liu said in the post. “There are indeed many problems in the current management system. On the path of reform, I will not stand in the way of the ongoing reform just because I have been removed from my former position.
“I will set the greater interest above everything and will try my best to push forward the reform of Chinese table tennis.”
Liu said the team is competing for China, therefore “winning glory for the nation and keeping a good image of the country should never be affected by anything else, not even by personal feelings”.
“Don’t blame anyone. Don’t lose confidence. Don’t run away from your responsibilities. We should be united to overcome difficulties,” Liu added.