Chinese Olympic table tennis champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng announced on Friday their intention to leave the WTT world circuit, refusing to pay fines imposed for non-participation in tournaments.
“The WTT recently announced the imposition of fines for non-participation in tournaments”wrote Fan Zhendong on the Chinese social network Weibo. “I cannot afford that and, if I respect this international organization, I can only decide to leave the world rankings”he continued, adding that he had officially informed the Chinese federation and the WTT of his decision this week.
“After the Olympics ended and the intensity of the physical training and mental stress accumulated and reached new heights, I needed a period to get back into shape and make decisions to the rest of my career depending on my physical form”indicated Chen Meng, also on Weibo.
“Due to the new rules on non-participations and fines decided by the WTT and the fact that my body can no longer withstand the intensity of high-level competition, out of respect for the international organization, I signed the document on Monday and made the decision to withdraw from the world circuit”she added.
Opponent of Felix Lebrun at the Olympics
Fan Zhendong, 27, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, notably at the last Paris Games, where he beat Frenchman Félix Lebrun in the semi-final. He is also a nine-time world champion. Chen Meng, 30, is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, notably winning singles and team gold in Paris. She also has six world championship titles.
Fan Zhendong did not participate in the recent WTT Finals held in Fukuoka (Japan) in November and has not participated in WTT competitions since June.
