Renowned mainland sports media figure He Xiaolong recently stated again that Liu Guoliang has lost his control over the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the International Table Tennis Federation. Despite being banned from a certain platform for 7 days, He Xiaolong continues to voice his opinions on another platform. It is worth noting that He Xiaolong’s remarks have drawn widespread attention, but until now, Liu Guoliang himself has not made any public response to this. The specific details regarding Liu Guoliang’s position and travel restrictions have not been officially confirmed.
On January 29th, He Xiaolong claimed that Liu Guoliang had lost his real power in the Table Tennis Association and is now in a situation where he cannot even travel abroad.
Liu Guoliang serves as the Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, the Chairman of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Professional League Board, and the Vice Chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation. However, He Xiaolong believes that Liu Guoliang’s influence in these three major organizations is not as strong as before, especially within the Chinese Table Tennis Association and the International Table Tennis Federation.
He Xiaolong also stated that Liu Guoliang is currently unable to travel abroad and is unlikely to appear at the upcoming WTT Singapore Grand Slam. He pointed out that since the Asian Championships, Liu Guoliang has not traveled abroad, implying that the reason for his travel restriction may be related to financial issues within the WTT. Over the past three months, Liu Guoliang has consecutively missed important events such as the Asian Championships.
This news has caused a stir online, with supporters of Liu Guoliang expressing their unwavering support for him, as he has led China’s national sport to the top of the world for many years.
After the situation escalated, He Xiaolong was banned from speaking out. However, it is said that this was due to sparking disputes and controversies among netizens in the comments section of social media, rather than He Xiaolong himself violating any rules.
Recently, Sina.com reported that the situation with Liu Guoliang in the WTT is escalating. Apart from the WTT financial reports, there are questions about the organization of the Henan Six Stations competition, including three stations that were not accounted for in the WTT handbook and how the sponsorship fees exceeding one billion were allocated. These issues are being pointed towards Liu Guoliang.
He Xiaolong further disclosed that the position of the Director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Center has been vacant for such a long time in anticipation of the outcome of the investigation into Liu.
The report mentioned that if Liu Guoliang was removed from his position, who would become the head of the China Table Tennis Association? Currently, there are three potential candidates. The first is Deng Yaping, the second suitable candidate is Wang Liqin, Vice Chairman of the China Table Tennis Association, and the third candidate is Qin Zhijian, former General Secretary of the Table Tennis Association, former National Team Head Coach, and Vice Chairman of the Table Tennis Association.
Liu Guoliang started playing table tennis at the age of 6 and joined the national team in 1991. In 1994, he won the Men’s Team Championship at the World Cup. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he won the Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles Championships. From 1990 to 2002, he won a total of 11 World Championships, 9 Asian Championships, 9 National Championships, 19 Open Championship titles, and 1 International Table Tennis Federation Grand Finals Championship. He was the first athlete to successfully use the “penhold” grip technique in formal competitions and achieved success, becoming the first male table tennis player in China’s history to hold the “Grand Slam” titles of Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup Singles. He announced his retirement in 2002.
In 2003, he became the Head Coach of the Chinese National Men’s Team. In June 2017, he became the Vice Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. In December 2018, he became the Chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. In 2020, he was appointed as the Chairman of the World Table Tennis Professional League Board. In 2021, he was elected as the Executive Vice Chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation. In 2022, he was elected as the Chairman of the WTT World Table Tennis Board and appointed as the First Vice Chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation. In March 2023, he became a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a member of the Education, Science, Health, and Sports Committee.