Wang Liqin overturned Liu Guoliang s arrangement in the first month of taking office and was questioned about using athletes as a cattle and horse.

The new chairman of the Table Tennis Association, Wang Liqin, threw out the "schedule bomb" in the first month of taking office. The 2025 Table Tennis Super League, officially announced on May 13, extended the original 8-day "blitz battle" to 14 days, and stuffed it into June-August and December in four stages. This wave of operations instantly made the comment area furious: Some people liked it "Finally took a step towards professionalism", and some fans felt sorry for the athletes "like a top all year round".

"It's embarrassing to say it after playing the league in 8 days. " The complaints of the well-known media person Yang Yi hit the pain points of the Table Tennis Super League for many years. As the world's top tennis world leader, even broadcasters shook their heads.

Wang Liqin's reforms seem moderate, but in fact they have hidden secrets: in the 6 new days, home and away rotation and playoff system were implemented for the first time, and he also deliberately avoided top WTT events such as the US Grand Slam in July and the Swedish Grand Slam in August, which clearly means "keep traffic in China". Data shows that the single box office of the 2024 Table Tennis Super Finals was nearly 30 million, and 80% of the audience came from other places. When fans hold the "Shatou" light card to chase the competition across provinces, the commercial potential of the league is visible to the naked eye. The athletes' schedule has become "red alarm": 25 events of the national table tennis team in 2025, 15 international competitions gathered together, and from June to August, they will be "hurdling" between the Table Tennis Super League and the WTT. Some fans did the math: Wang Chuqin finished the Doha World Table Tennis Championships in early June, and had to participate in the Table Tennis Super League on June 6, and then flew to the United States to play the Grand Slam in July, which can be called "Airman".

The essence of this controversy is the "strategic swing" of Chinese table tennis. In the past few years, Liu Guoliang has promoted WTT global events. Although it has enhanced its international influence, it has made the Table Tennis Super League a "slip". The 2024 Table Tennis Super League championship prize is 1 million, which is only 1/8 of the WTT Grand Slam championship. The main players are inevitably more inclined to "earn points and earn bonuses" international competitions.

Wang Liqin's "schedule expansion" is regarded as a correction of "focusing on the outside and neglecting the inside". The main players of the national table tennis team such as Lin Shidong and Sun Yingsha must be connected between the Table Tennis Super League and the WTT. Can the body withstand it? In the first stage of the 2024 Table Tennis Super League, Wang Manyu withdrew from the competition due to a cold, exposing the hidden dangers of the intensive schedule. More importantly, WTT events are related to Olympic points. If the main players influence international rankings due to the Table Tennis Super League, they can be said to be "picking up sesame seeds and throwing watermelons". A coaching staff member privately revealed: "Now, the most fear of the players' fatigue accumulation and losing their chains in the competition. "

Wang Liqin, who was an athlete, obviously understands the hard work of the athletes. To this end, he deliberately placed the finals in December to avoid major events such as the Macau Championship in September and the National Games in November, and also planned to introduce player transfers and salary guarantee mechanisms to protect players.

Of course, compared with the NBA's "load management" - the average annual 15 games on the verge of stars and the playoffs has two weeks of adjustment period. The professional path of the Table Tennis Super League is still "toddler". Some industry insiders suggested "step by step": start with adding broadcasting shots and opening up business endorsements for players, so that the league can be "valued" first, and then gradually optimize the schedule. You know, it took the NBA a full 20 years to make money from "no one cares about it" to globally attracting money.

In my opinion, what the current Table Tennis Super League needs is not radical expansion, but leaving athletes with enough breathing. Without health, Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin cannot support the future of the league. What do you think?