The Chinese table tennis team will hold two selection events for the ITTF WTTC finals Durban-Xinhua

Members of the Chinese team and Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) president Liu Guoliang pose for photos during the award ceremony at the finals of the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 9, 2022. (Xinhua/ Jiang Hongjing)

The Chinese table tennis team plans to hold two selection competitions for the ITTF Table Tennis World Cup finals.

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) — The Chinese table tennis team will hold two competitions to select players for the upcoming ITTF World Championships (WTTC) finals, the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) announced on Tuesday.

The first selection competition will be played in Beijing from the 18th to the 23rd. in February, while the second will take place after the WTT Singapore Smash, in both men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles.

In January, during the WTTC Asia Continental Stage, China secured its full quota at the WTTC Finals in Durban, South Africa from the 20th to the 28th. May, which means five spots in men’s and women’s singles and two spots in each of the three doubles.

According to the CTTA, the winners of the singles categories of the two qualifiers qualify directly for the WTTC finals, while in the mixed doubles only one pair gets a ticket to the tournament in Durban.

Defeating the Men’s and Women’s Singles Champions at the WTT Singapore Smash 7-19 March is another way for Chinese paddlers to compete in the WTTC Finals.

The remaining spots for the Chinese team will be decided by the coaching staff based on the players’ world rankings, performances against opponents from other federations, technical characteristics and other factors.

Coach Li Sun (C), Chinese players Wang Yidi (L) and Chen Xingtong react during the women’s team final at the 2022 ITTF World Table Tennis Team Championship in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, Oct. 8, 2022. (Xinhua) /Liu Xu)

“We hope to provide a platform for all players to compete openly, fairly and equitably. Whether Olympic champions or young players, they must unleash their full potential in this process,” said Li Sun, who was appointed coach of the Chinese team. head coach in December of last year.

The first selection competition features 16 male and 13 female players, all ranked in the top 100 of the 2023 Week 5 ITTF World Singles Rankings, including prominent figures Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng.

Mixed doubles, which consists of heats and a main draw, as 11 pairs advance directly to the main draw and five other pairs are eliminated from the heats.

The first stage of the main draw uses a round-robin format, as players are divided into four groups. The best of each group will be placed to fight for the championship in the second stage, while playoffs and third place matches will also be held to decide the final ranking of each participant.

The CTTA said each player earns their own ranking points, which are the criteria for ranking and grouping in the second selection competition. ■