In a surprising turn of events, China's Olympic table tennis champs Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng have stepped away from the world rankings, stirring up quite the buzz in the table tennis world! 🏓🌍
World Table Tennis (WTT) didn't stay silent. On Saturday, they released a statement showing mad respect for Fan and Chen's epic contributions to the sport. WTT highlighted how these legends have inspired countless fans and athletes globally. 🙌🌟
Addressing the drama, WTT clarified that the rules that led to the withdrawal aren't exactly new. They broke down the deets on automatic qualifications and explained why fines happen when players skip out on events. Plus, they spilled some updates coming in the 2025 handbook. 📖🔍
WTT also sent good vibes to Fan and Chen, wishing them the best and keeping the door wide open if they ever want to make a comeback to WTT events. 🎉✨
So, what's the tea? Fan announced on Friday that he couldn't roll with WTT's new fines for not participating in events. Chen shared similar feels, explaining that due to physical challenges, she can't keep up with every high-energy tournament, making WTT's fines a tough pill to swallow. 😓💔
This shake-up has the table tennis community chatting. Will this move spark changes in WTT's policies? Only time will tell! ⏳🤞
Reference(s):
WTT responds to withdrawal of China's Fan and Chen from world rankings
cgtn.com
