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Mike Chan

The head of international table tennis has said she foresees Olympic champion Fan Zhendong returning to fight for gold again in Los Angeles in 2028.
But Petra Sorling, president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), was adamant Fan should qualify for his place at the Games – something he cannot do unless he resumes playing in international events.
Fan stunned table tennis by announcing he was withdrawing from the ITTF rankings last December.
Speaking to the Post during the WTT Finals Hong Kong, Sorling said it was difficult for people to understand “the pressure to be the number one and what Fan delivered in the Olympic Games”.

“His challenge was that he wanted to have a break and then still play table tennis, but not on that level,” she said. “Of course, the world rankings will be affected if you’re not playing.”
Sorling said a break from international table tennis would have helped Fan.
“I think that he found a balance in his life to take this year off like that, and who knows? I foresee that we may see him in LA 2028,” the 54-year-old Swede said.
“The door was never closed, but there are different ways to qualify, through rankings and also qualification events.
“You don’t have to play all the events, but just go straight to a qualifier. The North Koreans [who won mixed doubles silver] in Paris were a good example.”
Fan returned to action at club level earlier this year, playing for 1. FC Saarbrucken in Germany’s Table Tennis Bundesliga. He also won gold in the National Games men’s singles.
Sorling praised China’s coaches for sharing their expertise at a training camp during the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup in Chengdu this month.
“If China were only coming, winning and leaving, it would have been very negative,” she said.
“The cooperation was very good, and this exchange helped to improve the sport overall around the world.”
She added: “The Chinese players also want to have competition … The knowledge shared over the years has benefited diversity. When we’re looking at the youngsters now, it’s not that China is winning all the medals.”
There have been 88 Grand Smash, Finals and Champions events since those top three tiers of World Table Tennis events began in 2021, and Chinese players have won a staggering 72 of them, or 82 per cent. Japan is a distant second, with seven.

Also a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2023, Sorling remained ambitious about the chances to further grow table tennis, especially with a mixed teams event making its Olympic debut in 2028.
“We are the racquet sport with the most medal events, six, in LA 2028,” she said.
TikTok, rather than other racquet sports, showed the way to engage young people, Sorling suggested.
“The next generations don’t naturally love sport, so how do we attract them?” she said. “I neither see pickleball, padel, nor tennis nor badminton as competitors. I see TikTok and non-sports as more of a competitor to table tennis.
“But I think that in table tennis, we are very well equipped because we are really performing well in terms of the entertainment industry. This is not only sport.”


Fan Zhendong could play at LA Olympics, but won’t get easy route back: table tennis boss

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

Ticket touts profit at WTT Finals Hong Kong as fans pay to see Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha

WTT Finals Hong Kong: Wang Chuqin survives huge scare to progress at Coliseum

ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)

Fan Zhendong, pictured after clinching National Games gold in Macau last month, was among three Chinese players to withdraw from the world rankings a year ago. Photo: Xinhua

Petra Sorling said there were “different ways to qualify” for 2028 for Fan Zhendong. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese table tennis fans flocked to the WTT Finals at Hong Kong Coliseum last week. Photo: WTT

You can watch the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics for just US$28, here’s how to get a ticket

Fans can register to buy tickets for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games next month. Photo:  TNS

WTT Finals: Wang Chuqin pulls out in Hong Kong, empty seats for Japanese champion

Wang Chuqin and Truls Moregard hug after it was announced Wang had pulled out of their semi-final. Photo: AFP

Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto (left) wins the men’s singles final in Hong Kong. Photo: Eugene Lee

Wang Manyu (front) clinches the women’s title by beating Kuai Man on Sunday. Photo: Eugene Lee

WTT Finals Hong Kong: Sun Yingsha hit by injury, loses mixed doubles final with Wang Chuqin

Sun Yingsha sat through several medical time-outs on Saturday before finally withdrawing from the semi-final. Photo: Xinhua

South Korea’s Lim Jong-hoon (left) and Shin Yu-bin beat the Chinese pair for the first time. Photo: Xinhua

Kuai Man will now meet compatriot and reigning champion Wang Manyu in the final. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Chuqin (left) and Sun Yingsha in action during the WTT Finals in Hong Kong. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Chuqin embraces Truls Moregard after withdrawing at Hong Kong Coliseum on Sunday. Photo: AFP

Sport

China

Other Sport

He can earn 2028 spot the same way North Koreans have previously, ITTF’s Petra Sorling suggests amid Fan’s absence from world rankings


He can earn 2028 spot the same way North Koreans have previously, ITTF’s Petra Sorling suggests amid Fan’s absence from world rankings.


World Table Tennis (WTT)

Fan Zhendong

Fan Zhendong could play at LA Olympics, but won’t get easy route back: table tennis boss

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}He can earn 2028 spot the same way North Koreans have previously, ITTF’s Petra Sorling suggests amid Fan’s absence from world rankings

He can earn 2028 spot the same way North Koreans have previously, ITTF’s Petra Sorling suggests amid Fan’s absence from world rankings