PARIS. There is simply no end to it. China not only has a tradition of state-organised mass doping, but also a sinister tradition of match-fixing in the national sport of table tennis, as well as in other sports such as badminton. Following enquiries by THE INQUISITOR, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) confirms internal investigations. ITTF's Integrity Unit has been working on the issue for around two months. The investigations include Liu Guoliang. Mr Liu is an Olympic champion, a successful Olympic coach, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), entrepreneur and, as appointed ITTF deputy president, the right-hand man of ITTF president and IOC member Petra Sörling. There are ordinary vice presidents at ITTF, and there is the appointed deputy president from China – that doesn't make things any easier.
Similar accusations of Olympic match fixing hit Chinese table tennis after the London Olympics 2012. According to tabletennisdaily, China's head coach Liu Guoliang, now ITTF's deputy and CTTA president and again in the middle of a match-fixing controversy, later admitted in an interview with Chinese TV that he had ordered Wang Hao to lose the men's Olympic singles final to compatriot Zhang Jike. The coach believed that Wang Hao could better tolerate losing in singles and still be in top shape for China's subsequent team match.
And now a group of Chinese table tennis fans (@ttenniswatchdog) accuse Liu Guoliang of unethical behaviours that have allowed him "to dominate the table tennis ecosystem for financial and political gains".
The group delivered an extensive documentation on the alleged fix and has accused the ITTF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of turning a blind eye to "illegal serves, draw manipulation, and match-fixing And age falsification", allegedly giving Liu Guoliang "a platform to favour players with business and political ties while targeting others".
Many people tried to submit complaints to IOC integrity hotline regarding the falsified age by Table Tennis player Chen Meng and the unfair selection of Olympics players by Chinese Table Tennis Association, only to find they couldn't submit the request? is IOC in this with CTTA🤔 pic.twitter.com/KQZ609VQSE
— TTennisWatchdog (@ttenniswatchdog) June 28, 2024
As an example, they cite CTTA's Olympic selection of Chen Meng as one of China's representative in the women's singles tournament at the Paris Olympics at the expense of Wang Manyu, No. 2 in the ITTF world rankings. This followed the last qualifying tournament Saudi Smash, where the results of the Chinese players indicated match manipulation.
"This selection controversy has shocked the table tennis community and sparked an outburst leading to swift censorship by the Chinese authorities, indicating a deep cover-up. Equally curious is the collective silence from reporters, players, and the CTTA itself," they claim.
"Without a platform to voice concerns within China’s sports system which is known for its corruption, disappointed fans turned their hopes to the ITTF and the IOC. Thousands of requests have been sent to both organisations asking for a thorough investigation into the selection process."
THE INQUISITOR confronted high-ranking ITTF officials and several sources in private with the events and allegations. Nobody wants to mess with China in this sport.
According to our information, the ITTF's small Integrity Unit has been dealing with the well-substantiated allegations since the beginning of June.
Tristan Lavier, ITTF director communications, did not respond in detail to a list of questions. He stated:
"It is important to clarify that the selection of athletes for the Olympic Games falls under the exclusive authority of the National Olympic Committees. The ITTF is aware of the disappointment expressed by some fans regarding the selection choices of certain NOCs. These fans have campaigned and, at times, levied accusations of misconduct against some individuals. Any such allegations, when properly substantiated, have been investigated by the ITTF Integrity Unit.
For your understanding, the ITTF Integrity Unit operates independently from the ITTF. It is committed to upholding the integrity of table tennis by ensuring the sport remains fair, safe, and clean. The Unit welcomes any information from stakeholders acting in good faith to aid in this mission."
According to sources, Liu Guoliang's favouritism towards Chen Meng can be explained by the fact that China's table tennis president has strong ties to the Shandong province where Chen Meng is from, and Liu Guoliang and his wife have done business with the local authorities.
Illegal serves in table tennis are yet another example of unfair play, which the CTTA, ITTF, and IOC, according to the sources, turn a blind eye to despite massive criticism from athletes and fans. China's best men's singles player Wang Chuqin is allegedly one of the worst offenders.
"Danish player Anders Lind has called it possible the biggest problem in professional table tennis. Wang Chuqin, currently ranked no 1 in men’s singles, arguable benefits the most from this leniency. More than half of his serves are illegal, either due to concealment, not throwing the ball vertically, or the ball rising less than 16 cm," the group argues.
Furthermore, it is noted "that draw manipulation often goes hand in hand with match-fixing". Table tennis was ranked no. 3 in 2023 and no. 4 in 2022 in having the most suspicious matches by Sportradar:
"Curiously, the ITTF decided to end its contract with Sportradar in 2024, citing several significant concerns without naming any. The act of 'shooting the messenger' can be explained by the high percentage of gambling companies as ITTF and World Table Tennis (WTT) sponsors because match fixing is often linked to betting. Coincidentally, gambling scandals have been following Team China like a shadow. Additionally, Macau, a known gambling city, has been the most frequented city by WTT/ITTF events."
