Editor's note: Facing the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics , the Japan Table Tennis Association has adopted a different method from the previous "selecting players according to world rankings" and instead uses a method of holding multiple Paris trials domestically and awarding points to select players for the Paris Olympics. As WTT events become more standardized and complete, this selection method has gradually begun to be questioned by Japanese domestic media and fans. After the Funabashi station of the TOP32 selection tournament in November, Noboru Konno, publisher and editor-in-chief of the famous Japanese table tennis magazine "Snooker Kingdom", took the lead in his column and questioned the selection method of the Japan Table Tennis Association.
·From the perspective of the table tennis world around the world, Japan’s trials are very “special”. Why not select Paris team members based on world rankings?
There are less than two years left before the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Funabashi Station of the National Agricultural Cup TOP32 Competition (November 12-13) is the fourth of the 13 trials (including 3 international events) in addition to the T League winning points. The first three stops are the Lion Cup, T-League individual competition and the National Farmers Cup Fukuoka Station.
Although there are only six domestic trials, the main players also participated in more than ten competitions such as WTT Challenge, Star Challenge, Championship, World Cup, Grand Slam, World Table Tennis Championships , etc. This is a very intensive schedule for them.
According to the rules that have been determined by the Japan Table Tennis Association, the top two players in the trials will receive a singles quota for the Paris Olympics, and the third quota for the team competition will be recommended by the Strengthening Headquarters.
On the other hand, the rules announced by International Olympic Committee and ITTF in July are that "the association that has qualified for the team competition can send two players to participate in the singles event. These two players need to be the top two players in the world." This selection rule may conflict with the selection rules of the Japan Table Tennis Association. In other words, it is possible that the two singles players selected according to the Japan Table Tennis Association's selection method are not the top two players in the world.
Therefore, the Japan Table Tennis Association has repeatedly put forward opinions to the ITTF and the International Olympic Committee, hoping to hand over the decision-making power of singles quotas to the Japan Table Tennis Association instead of directly deciding based on the world rankings. In the revised version of the "Paris Olympics Participation Rights Regulations" on October 24, a provision was also added that "if the NOC vetoes the entry list, the qualification will be postponed to the next higher-ranked athlete in the world until there are two athletes participating in singles."
At this point, the competition rules formulated by the International Olympic Committee and the selection methods of the Japan Table Tennis Association no longer conflict. But because of this, although participating in WTT competitions is not of great significance to qualify for the competition, Japanese players have to participate in WTT competitions. It is natural that
cannot give up on WTT events. Because WTT is an important event with existing prize money, which can be used to improve the world ranking. Nowadays, all international competitions are based on world rankings. Players with high world rankings are more likely to achieve high rankings. The higher the world ranking, the higher the seed position in the Olympic Games. So (as a player) it is natural to want to not only qualify for the Olympics, but also want a higher world ranking.
However, players like Zhang Benzhi, and Mima Ito have just participated in the Chengdu Team World Table Tennis Championships, WTT Championship, and WTT World Cup, a series of events held in China. During this month, all their game balls were Double Happiness. In the trials they participated in after returning to Japan (TOP32 Funabashi Station), the game balls were changed to VICTAS for the men's game and Butterfly for the women's game, so they still need to adapt to the game balls. What's more, after participating in international competitions and returning to domestic competitions, their playing style also needs to be adjusted.
· Too intensive schedule Is this competition called the selection competition aimed at players, audiences or TV stations?
The Chinese national team strategically selects Olympic team members. There is competition within the team but it is not completely free competition. The Chinese Table Tennis Association will conduct targeted selections based on the performance of athletes in the world competition.In addition, I have never heard of selection methods like Japan’s in Asia and Europe. With the increase in WTT events, they have basically fixed the free competition selection method based on world rankings.
In Europe, if an athlete's Olympic quota obtained through world ranking or qualifying is rejected by the association and the quota is given to someone else, the association may be sued. However, it is not the athletes themselves or the Table Tennis Association who have the right to determine the Olympic participation list, but the Olympic Committee of each country/association.
The reason why Japan adopts the "special" Olympic qualification selection method of domestic trials plus T-League winning points is because after the Tokyo Olympics last year (2021), the WTT series was not carried out systematically due to the epidemic. Athletes were not free to participate in the world competition. The Japan Table Tennis Association also judged that the world rankings did not truly reflect the strength of the athletes.
However, since entering 2022, the main players have participated in nearly 10 WTT events, and the world ranking has become relatively reasonable. However, the Japan Table Tennis Association has failed to keep pace with the times and still adopts the previously formulated selection method. Some fans also joked, "Maybe it's because I sold the rights to the TV station that I can't regret it."
The schedule of the Funabashi Station of the National Agricultural Cup TOP32 Competition is very tight. There are 3 games played every day, and each game is a 4-win game of 7 games. The athletes also look very tired. The game on the 13th lasted from 10 am to 9:30 pm. Although there are performances arranged for television broadcast before the finals, and the on-site audience can watch the exciting table tennis events in the venue for 12 consecutive hours, but is this competition held for the athletes, or is it held for the audience on site and in front of the TV?
Although this competition has a title sponsor, the athletes do not receive bonuses. Even the athletes have to pay for their own accommodation expenses. But these exhausted players only received selection points and honors.
Could it be that arranging such a tight schedule is also a method used by the Table Tennis Association to strengthen players? The attitude of the Table Tennis Association is that if you don't want to participate at your own expense, then just abstain? Athletes are not consumables. The association will also have income through sponsors and tickets. I hope it will still be based on the principle of "athletes first".
compilation/Wang Yiming
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