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

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 medallist 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.