OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Recent news reports about LGL lamenting about how "Our glory is the crisis of table-tennis" was reported here, http://tabletennista.com/2015/2/liu-guo ... le-tennis/

What? Why on this good earth would anyone think there is a crisis for being the best of the best? Really? Then there are some fans around the world who also lament that table-tennis has become boring because of the dominance of China. I dont't agree. Do we see Google or Microsoft feeling sorry, or feel there is a crisis for their being dominant.

This is what ITTF under Sharara said here, http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/1 ... AL20140112

Quote:
"China's table tennis federation should give foreign players more access to its coaches to ease the country's stranglehold on the sport and attract more television and sponsor interest"

"... lesser Chinese preeminence would help attract greater sponsorship and television coverage of table tennis"

"Even in China itself, the general public is getting tired of seeing China winning all the time,"

"We need more co-operation from the Chinese. They're opening the door but ever so slowly. They need to sacrifice to make the others better, even to lose to the others, so the sport becomes more and more interesting."

"I say help us for just five years and then you can go back and close the doors"

What the ITTF is saying is, please we ask of you, please share your rice bowl with us. If life's hash lessons have been learned, it's this. When the opportunity arises, they will not be content to share, but yank the entire rice bowl from under you.

I am saddened that LGL has succumbed to that ITTF drivel. I expect better of him. A grand slam champion he may be, but a clearly a novice in the ways of the world. Tsk tsk.

Personally, I don't care which country is dominant.

just some politics, everything the ittf does is just gives them (China) new motivation's to work on, they adapt, train and work on the new ball sizes, speed glue, hidden service, games to 11, 2 players per country etc etc

otherwise they would get bored

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Most countries have a dominance in some sport, simply because its the national sport and there is great internal competition to drive the competitiors on. China's happens to be TT. No big deal.

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You can't compare sports to companies, one is followed by millions for fun and the other sell products that you may or may not buy/use if you need them and who's dominating status is regulated by laws.

But let me tell you a story about a man who's domination of a sport ruined it for me.

In 2004 a French man named Sébastien Loeb won he's first WRC championship and then proceeded to completely dominate the WRC until he retired in 2012 still in he's prime, IMO out of boredom due to the lack of competition. I stopped following the WRC after a few years of him dominating it because why would I follow the outcome of something that was guaranteed race after race, year after year?

TT is going the same way unless you are a chines player fan that enjoy watching them win with ease.
I'm not saying that the suggestions from the ITTF are correct but It's better for the sport if the outcome of each tournament is less certain is it not?

I agree with Danne on this. A sport is exciting when the outcome isn't clear. I firmly believe that many others feel the same way, especially those with only a slight interest in the sport itself. For them it will naturally be more exciting if they can root for a local guy. If only the Chinese win everything all the time, why bother?
This definitely is a legitimate issue, breadth of a sport is always healthy.

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Funny, i was just looking at this the other night. Sure the top 4 men are chinese and 5 or 6 out of the top 10 ten men and women are chinese but after that they aren't that prominent. Is not like 18 out of the top 20 are chinese. So what, they have 4 good ones at the moment, big deal, hardly a crisis.

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It's not the number of chines in the top 10 but who wins in the end and for some years now it have been a chines player.

This also crates another problem that is a lack of famous role models for the sport in many countries. When someone goes on and win in any sports there is a clear surge of beginners to that sport and right now the lack of winning equals less interest in the sport by potential beginners. Even here in Sweden who was a large TT nation during the Waldner era the number of new TT kids is declining steadily. TT is not given airtime on TV and we don't win anything significant anymore so the sport is slowly fading away.

Totally agree, very valid point.

Part of me thinks it would be better if the Chinese players didn't enter competitions (or at least not all of them)... but then everyone who knows TT feels like the competition is somewhat "false" because it's like winning a Banded event rather than the Open Singles.

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Australia has dominated cricket for many years in many of the sports forms. Now and then Australia will drop back in the dominance, which probably is good for the sport both in Australia (cos Aussies like to see a comeback ) and in other countries, cos they feel good getting on top of us. Maybe the Chinese could take a leaf from the Aussie cricketers book

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

I can't agree that the Australian domination of cricket is as all-encompassing as the Chinese domination of TT.

If the Chinese weren't always the top players; if 25% of the time it was a mix of European, American or Australian players, we'd be much better off. That hasn't been the case since Waldner though.

The Germans come closest with Boll and Ovtcharov I guess. No coincidence that their table tennis league is also the best in Europe.

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Blades: Butterfly Defence 3, Butterfly Defence Pro, Butterfly Innerforce ZLC, Butterfly Innershield, DHS Power G7, Stiga Offensive Classic Carbon
SPs: Friendship 802 (1.5), TSP Spectol (1.3, 1.8, 2.1), TSP Spectol Speed (1.3), TSP Super Spinpips Chop Sponge 2 (0.5, 1.3)
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Hey guys,
whether it's a crisis or not depends on where you stand. For non Chinese fans, China dominates and they see a crisis. OTOH, if China were to lose a tournament, they are the ones who will be feeling the CRISIS. I don't have the numbers but I suspect there are more Chinese fans both in and out of China than there are fans of all other nationalities of the world combined.

I feel sorry for LGL. Whatever he does, he will never win. If China were to lose even one championship, he will personally experience a crisis up close and personal.

Is this the reason for the low level of Chinese participation in the World Tour? Japan always sends a lot of players, the Chinese seem to avoid most of the events and only participate in a few. The few they participate in they mostly win. Both for mens' and womens'.

Iskandar

Sweden only stoped the successful template when the 90's players didn't retire, this lead to no pathway for others, China in the meantime helps older players to become coaches

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I've been watching quite a bit of the world tour in the last 6 months and it seems like the next level of players ie Ovtcharov don't like to go up against the Chinese players in these events so often its the best in the world against the 3rd tier players. Tennis is a bit the same in that there are all sorts of ATP events on at the same time so the field is narrowed but you are guarenteed each year there are 4 grand slams that everyone plays. Not sure if that is the same in table tennis with major events or if there is only the World Cup and World Champs.

Its not the only sports where this happens though, look at the current domination of Jamaica in athletics (sprints) or the Kenyans and Ethiopians in the distance events. Also the English tend to dominate darts. For me it doesn't make it less exciting hoping someone else can break through for a win. Understand all the other views though and they are valid points.

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I've often wondered this too. China could have sent players from the second. It would be pointless if they don't win, but if they do win, they will be perceived to be too greedy.


You might be on to something, and I wonder if this might be a part of the reason why Sweden's glory days faded when Waldner and Persson continued competing way pass their peak. When they were still competing way past their prime, why would they cook their own goose by teaching their competition. If they retired from competition and started coaching, everyone is a student, not a competitor. Students who do well reflect on their coach. But competitors who threathen your success and start beating you isn't good for your career. BTW, did the successful Swedish team of the 90's had the benefit of coaching from Stellan Bengtsson?