Fan, Ma Long out of tour events over row with ITTF

These are somewhat turbulent times in world table tennis.

- Rutvick Mehta

MUMBAI: Three of the sport's most iconic figures and top Chinese players -- 2024 Paris Olympics singles champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng along with the legendary Ma Long -- have pulled out of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings and World Table Tennis (WTT) tour, largely over a dispute regarding fines for non-participation in tournaments.

These are no ordinary players. Fan, 27, is a multiple-time Olympic and Worlds gold medalist and former world No. 1. So is Chen, who won back-to-back Olympic singles titles in Tokyo and Paris. Ma Long, a six-time Olympic champion, is considered the greatest to have played the sport.

Their withdrawal has shaken the TT world with a few other players like France's Simon Gauzy and Nigerian Aruna Quadri also voicing similar concerns. Forced to act, ITTF on Friday set up a task force "to gather feedback from players and review existing regulations". The panel includes India's Sharath Kamal, who also co-chairs the ITTF Athletes Commission.