BEIJING – After witnessing a promotional showcase tournament in Macau, World Table Tennis (WTT) Council Chair Liu Guoliang emphasized yesterday that change and innovation are required for the sport’s professional and commercial development.
Staged between Thursday and Sunday, the WTT Macau tournament offered a first glimpse into the future of the sport, including changes in the format, and an innovative Top Four Seed Battle that witnessed the top four seeds choose their quarterfinal opponents.
“Overall I can feel the highlight and innovation through WTT Macau. As the WTT’s debut, the [Macau] tournament… offered a different stage and format for the sport,” Liu, also president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), told Xinhua on Monday.
“There remains some space for improvement,” the table tennis legend admitted.
“WTT Macau was just a test. We will launch the WTT competition system in 2021. Hopefully everyone can give us comments and advice, as we spare no effort in looking for ways of innovation in light of feedback from players, media, sponsors and fans,” he said.
“Table tennis needs change and innovation. Otherwise we will encounter much difficulty in our professionalization and commercialization. It poses a big issue for all stakeholders in the table tennis family.”
The tournament in Macau was held after the ITTF Women’s and Men’s World Cups in Weihai and the ITTF Finals in Zhengzhou, signaling a restart of international table tennis following an eight-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“From the restart series over the past month, the world can feel the determination for change that the table tennis family has shown, and everyone can continue to develop the sport during the pandemic,” Liu noted.
“The restart has offered a glimpse of the future for table tennis,” he concluded. – Xinhua
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) CEO Steve Dainton (right) greets Chinese Table Tennis Association President Liu Guoliang during the opening ceremony of the 2020 ITTF Women’s World Cup in Weihai, Shandong province, on November 8. – Xinhua
