Chinese statement on Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin withdrawals leaves fans confused

China’s table tennis chiefs on Monday issued a statement about the withdrawals of world No 1s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin during the WTT Finals in Hong Kong – but left fans with as many questions as answers.\nSun retired during her women’s singles semi-final on Saturday, having appeared to suffer an ankle injury, before returning to action alongside Wang Chuqin in the mixed doubles final, which the Chinese pair lost.\nThe following day, Wang withdrew before his men’s singles semi-final against Truls Moregard. He was said to have woken up with a bad back and feeling unwell.\nWith the biggest star ruled out, there were swathes of empty seats for Sunday evening’s final, won by Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto.\n\nOn Monday, amid widespread discussion of the withdrawals on social media, the statement by the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) said the two players “both experienced physical discomfort during their matches” and were withdrawn “to safeguard their health”.\nA decision was made after “on-site treatment and a comprehensive assessment by the national team’s medical staff, and in consideration of the athletes’ own wishes”, the CTTA said.\n“The CTTA has always upheld an athlete-centred approach and has been actively maintaining close communication with the International Table Tennis Federation, WTT and other relevant parties, hoping to jointly promote a more scientific and rational competition system,” the statement added.\nBut Chinese fans were not convinced by the statement, with some querying why it made no direct mention of the tournament schedule.\nBoth the injuries and the CTTA’s response ranked among the top five trending topics on Weibo on Monday, with fans urging table tennis bodies to address the strain placed on players.\n“What is this statement actually responding to?” one comment asked.\n“If top athletes are always expected to shoulder the burden, then proper support should be in place – pre-competition physical evaluations, in-competition protection, post-competition recovery and safeguarding athletes’ mental health,” another posted. “It shouldn’t just be a detached, empty statement.”\nDuring the year-end tournament in Hong Kong, Sun played eight matches in four days, including three matches on Saturday alone. Wang played seven times in four days then withdrew with two rounds remaining of the men’s singles on Sunday.\nOver the five-day event, three other men and three other women also played both singles and mixed doubles.\nDiscussing the schedule earlier in the week, Wang had said: “If you choose to play two events [at the same tournament], you have to accept everything that comes with it.”\nSweden’s Moregard, who lost Sunday’s men’s final to Harimoto, posted a photo on social media of himself and Wang embracing, calling Wang a “good friend” and wishing him a speedy recovery.\nAlso trending on Monday was China’s reigning Olympic men’s singles champion Fan Zhendong, who withdrew from the WTT rankings a year ago. On the final night of the Hong Kong event, he played in the German Bundesliga competition for Saarbrucken, winning 3-0 against Lulian Chirita.\nSocial media discussion focused on his apparent good form and mood.\n“Wonderful, wonderful,” a fan commented. “He looks so healthy and happy.”\n