As the newly appointed chairman of the World Table Tennis board, Liu Guoliang sees a bright future for the sport's global development, citing the resounding success of three major international tournaments in China over the past month.

"The world table tennis community needs to be united, and that's how we can together make more contributions to the sport's growth. We need to develop a broader vision to help the sport's development," Liu told media after the conclusion of the WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang in Henan province over the weekend.

Since early October, three major international events — the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu, Sichuan province, the WTT Champions Macao and the WTT Cup Finals Xinxiang — were staged across China.

A total of 479 participants — including athletes, coaches, referees and officials — from all over the world came to China and traveled to the three host cities. Chinese aces swept the gold medals at all three events, which served up a feast of table tennis from the world's elite paddlers.

"This is a miracle! From the beginning of the World Team Championships Finals in Chengdu, we encountered many twists and turns. First, the World Team Championships Finals were initially postponed, and then later there were plans to postpone again until 2023. However, considering the pace of international table tennis events, a further delay would impair the development of the sport," Liu added.

"The players came to China for their careers and dreams. It was a great pleasure for us to let them compete in their beloved table tennis arena. Staging three marquee tournaments over the course of a month felt similar to the pace of the FIFA World Cup.

"Players were constantly traveling to different cities, competing in different tournaments, getting different results, which kept surprising fans. Players bonded with each other through competition, and their skills were improved by training and playing together."

The three ITTF and WTT events staged in China last month showcased not only the skills of the world's top aces, but also enhanced communication and friendships among players from all across the world.

After stunning world No 1 Fan Zhendong in a thrilling men's quarterfinal at the WTT Cup Finals in Xinxiang on Friday, Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov showed the utmost respect to his Chinese rival.

"I've known Fan for a very long time and really respect him. I'm really happy. I was on top of my game at the Olympics, but then I've had such a long injury and of course you start doubting yourself," said Ovtcharov.

"To beat Fan Zhendong who has been unbelievable lately gives me a lot of confidence and shows that my game is back where it belongs. I was honestly a bit tired after the match, and just really relieved."

'Trust and support'

As a legend of Chinese table tennis, Liu won all the major international titles as a player before becoming head coach of Team China. In 2018, he was elected president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA).

In 2021, he was elected to the ITTF Executive Committee, and last month was appointed deputy president of the world governing body. Now the 46-year-old is firmly focused on enhancing the sport's appeal worldwide.

"The new role represents the trust and support from this international organization, and it also shows the position of Chinese table tennis in the world. From being an athlete, a coach, then becoming president of the CTTA, and now I have joined the WTT and ITTF. So, I have changed many roles. But what has remained unchanged is my love and passion for this sport," said Liu.

"Our team traveled from all over the world. For the past three years, we overcame tremendous difficulties due to the pandemic to stage these events. Together, we present the world the best table tennis events, and we make contributions together for the sport's growth."

Liu's hard work earned recognition from the ITTF, which also expressed confidence in his ability to steer table tennis in the right direction worldwide.

"Liu Guoliang is not only a former world table tennis star, he is also very kind and humble and has never left the field of table tennis," said ITTF president Petra Sorling.

"He can be a bridge between athletes and decision-makers. After he becomes the deputy president, I believe his rich experience will be more applied to the work of the ITTF Executive Committee."

Stephen Dainton, ITTF Group chief executive officer, is also confident that Liu's dedication to table tennis will make the sport "bigger than ever".

"Liu Guoliang's long history of leadership, coupled with his unique experience across all areas of our sport, makes him the ideal person to chair the Board of World Table Tennis," said Dainton.

"We know him as a famous table tennis player, as one of the most successful coaches in the history of our sport, and, that he accepts this very important position is also an honor for us.

"His main work is to help us increase (the scale of) the table tennis industry. We have big expectations and hopes, but we can also see here in Chengdu the excellent work he has done so far. Together with Liu Guoliang, we will grow our sport and make it bigger than ever before. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with him in his new role."

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