The withdrawal of China's Olympic table tennis champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng from the world rankings has stirred significant controversy in the sport.

In response, World Table Tennis (WTT) issued a statement on Saturday expressing respect for the contributions of both players, and acknowledging their ability to inspire countless fans and athletes around the globe. The statement also addressed several concerns raised in regard to the WTT handbook.

WTT explained that the rules in question are not newly-imposed, and outlined the process of automatic qualification. The organization's response also reiterated why fines are imposed for non-participation and clarified several updates from the 2025 edition of the handbook.

WTT further stated that it recognizes the immense contributions of Fan and Chen to table tennis, wished them the best of luck, and said it will continue to welcome them, as well as all players, to return to WTT events should they wish to do so in the future.

Fan announced his withdrawal on Friday, saying he is unable to comply with WTT's new regulation imposing fines on players for not participating in events.

Chen noted that WTT's new regulation regarding fines for withdrawing from competitions posed a tough choice for her, due to ongoing physical challenges that make it impossible for her to compete in every high-intensity tournament.