If China’s table tennis dominance is challenged, will the sport grow? WTT boss has his say
World Table Tennis CEO says Europe’s men making a ‘massive wave’, but diversity in the women’s game needs to be worked on
China’s best table tennis players being challenged by improving Europeans and Americans is helping to grow the game globally, the sport’s global chief has said.
Speaking exclusively to the Post as the WTT Champions Macau event drew to a close at the weekend, Steve Dainton, CEO of World Table Tennis, said the likes of Sweden’s Truls Moregard, French brothers Felix and Alexis Lebrun, and Hugo Calderano of Brazil were attracting “significant global attention”.
Wang Chuqin ensured a Chinese men’s champion in the casino city by beating Calderano in Sunday’s final, reclaiming the world No 1 spot from compatriot Lin Shidong as he did so.
That was helped by Lin’s shock loss in the quarter-finals to Denmark’s Anders Lind, underlining Dainton’s belief that competition is hotting up.
“If we take Europe, for example, with Truls Moregard: he won the recent Europe Smash in Sweden,” Dainton said. “That’s making a massive wave in that country.
“We can see the Lebrun boys in France also making a massive wave, and that’s due to them having success.”