China
23:05, 25-Jun-2017
'All sanction on table' says ITTF after Chinese players' withdrawal
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"All potential sanctions are on the table" against three Chinese male players who forfeited their matches at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Platinum China Open, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) said on Sunday.
The online statement by ITTF on Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin China Open Forfeits. /Screenshot from ittf.com
The online statement by ITTF on Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin China Open Forfeits. /Screenshot from ittf.com
With millions of fans having anticipated watching the world's best players compete in the matches only to be confronted with a no-show, the world governing body of table tennis said it is "taking this matter seriously."
The ITTF said it had received the preliminary statement from the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) and taken note of the public apology from the Chinese Table Tennis Team.
"This has damaged the image and the integrity of table tennis globally," the ITTF said, noting it will continue its probe before any decisions are made.
The ITTF has asked for a detailed report from the CTTA about more details in regards to the reasons why the three top players failed to turn up for the matches in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province.
Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Platinum China Open is held in Chengdu. /VCG Photo
Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Platinum China Open is held in Chengdu. /VCG Photo
Ma Long, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin posted on Friday identical messages on their account on China's Twitter-like Weibo, along with coaches Qin Zhijian and Ma Lin, saying that they "don’t feel like playing" because they missed their former coach Liu Guoliang on Friday, who was removed from his coaching position.
The ITTF also expressed its willingness to cooperate with its Athletes' Commission to find out the causes of the incident and ensure that such instance does not happen again in the future.
Coach Liu was named as the Vice President of the CTTA and was removed from the "chief coach" position of the Chinese table tennis team on Tuesday – the same day a reform plan was unveiled cancelling the positions of "chief coach" and "head coaches" in the Chinese team.
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