China's global table tennis reach tests world talent

PARIS, France (AFP) –

Singapore’s Feng Tianwei plays against Ukraine’s Tetyana Bilenko on May 17, 2013 in Paris, during the World Table Tennis Championships. China’s long-standing table tennis supremacy is nothing new to fans and administrators, but the threat of migrant Chinese players stifling opportunities for homegrown talent around the world has cast a dark cloud over its future.

China’s long-standing table tennis supremacy is nothing new to fans and administrators, but the threat of migrant Chinese players stifling opportunities for homegrown talent around the world has cast a dark cloud over its future.

The outflow of Chinese talent is particularly evident at the ongoing World Championships in Paris with several naturalised China-born players representing their adopted countries, including outposts such as Congo and Luxembourg.

China’s strong presence in the French capital, both officially — they have the top three seeds on both sides of the draw — and unofficially — fourth-ranked Feng Tianwei (Singapore) and world number 7 Shen Yanfei (Spain) both featured in the women’s field — comes on the heels of the London Olympics, where the country not only completed a second successive clean-sweep of the gold medals but, perhaps more alarmingly, accounted for a quarter of the players competing for other nations.

However, statistics show the proportion of China-born players competing under a flag different to that of their homeland has dwindled slightly in Paris as reforms implemented by the International Table Tennis Federation, the sport’s governing body, have gradually begun to take shape.

Spain’s Yanfei Shen plays against Turkey’s Melek Hu on May 17, 2013 in Paris during the fourth round of Women’s Singles at the World Table Tennis Championships. China’s long-standing table tennis supremacy is nothing new to fans and administrators, but the threat of migrant Chinese players stifling opportunities for homegrown talent around the world has cast a dark cloud over its future.

China have again reinforced their superiority in Paris with five of eight quarter-finalists on both sides of the draw, not to mention the duo of Melek Hu (Turkey) and Feng Tianwei who also reached the last eight of the women’s field, but Adham Sharara, who was re-elected as ITTF President on Wednesday, believes the talent gap will steadily decrease over the course of the next decade.

“I don’t think it will take that long, may be five or six years. You can see from the junior level, the French and Japanese are beating the Chinese, so they will grow together. In five to six years you will find much bigger and harder competition in the sport,” Sharara said during a trip to the Qatar Open in February.

To stem the exodus of China-born players, the ITTF introduced radical rule changes in 2008 which prohibit anyone over the age of 21 from switching allegiances to represent a different national association in world title events.

Those players under the age limit also face a much longer wait before they can become eligible to compete for another country.

Players under 15 must wait three years; players between 15 and 18 wait five years, and players between 18 and 21 years wait seven years.

These modifications have yet to stimulate much in the way of Chinese resistance on the grand stage, but, buoyed by some recent surprising results at lesser tournaments, the ITTF has faith the changes will eventually bear fruit.

“(In January), the defending and world champion Zhang Jike lost in the quarter-finals (of the Austrian Open). So this means it’s possible (to challenge the Chinese). China are very consistent and strong, and prepare well for the main events like the Olympics or world events. But in other events it’s possible (to beat them) because everyone is not on top form. If players beat them in these events, they will gain confidence and can beat them in the main events,” said Sharara.

The Chinese themselves have made strides to improve competition and boost global growth, introducing a scheme at the Korean Open in April that allowed their players to partner foreign rivals for the first time.

“I believe this is good for the growth and development of worldwide table tennis,” Chinese head coach Liu Guoliang said, who added that the invitation was “open to every country, not just the top ones, as we want to give everyone a chance”.

Sharara was also effusive in his praise of the plan.

“This initiative from the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) is most welcome. It is a great idea that will help make World Tour events even more exciting. It is also one of the positive steps taken by the CTTA to help the development of players from other countries.”