ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2026, 3/30-4/5

[NextLevel]

That's what the expectation has been for Matsushima in Japan for several years now. Even Harimoto said it took Matsushima longer than expected to reach this stage.

Folks in the West can't expect to apply their values in East Asia. Japan, in particular, has a tradition and a system of "manufacturing" table tennis prodigies. Miyazaki even explicitly stated they needed new aces like Harimoto and Hirano for both MT and WT back in 2017 and they had started a project to "produce" 188 boys, girls and coaches each for 2024 and 2028, expecting results in 10 years, which is this year, 2026. Kawakami seems to be the forerunner for the time being.

2019/4/21
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...e-tennis-championships-2019.20811/post-269954


2025/10/19
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...or-wttc-finals-2026-2-16-17.35128/post-546452


第58回
日本卓球界を復活に導いた「大改革」
宮﨑 義仁
https://www.ssf.or.jp/knowledge/history/interview/058.html

(- What about player development and strengthening for 2020?

We need new aces for both men and women. Currently, it would be Harimoto Tomokazu for the men and Hirano Miu for the women.

If these top two strive for greater heights, they will surely inspire those around them. All the current players have that potential, which will lead to an overall improvement in the level of Japanese rugby.

Therefore, I believe that how we can elevate Harimoto and Hirano will be a crucial key to success in 2020. Also, with an eye on 2024 and 2028, we began strengthening 188 boys and girls in the fourth grade and below, along with their 188 coaches, starting in July 2016. I'm confident that the results will become apparent in about 10 years.)

There is clearly a difference between
1: Applying "Western values" to judge a Japanese situation.
2. Explaining quite bluntly that 18 year olds are immature and that table tennis improvement is not a linear process.

BTW, since there was 188, where are the other 187? Was Matsushima the best of them? And is the expectation for a prodigy linear development? Is it possible that a prodigy can get to a higher point on a longer schedule?

It's funny that Matsushima now has as many World Cup silvers and Senior national championships as Harimoto. Maybe Harimoto was fast to start, but he hasn't won much in the last few years. Is it Western to point that out?

PS: Isn't there a clear conflict between "Matsushima was a huge benefactor of nepotism" and "Matsushima took longer than expected to reach this stage" - if nepotism was the main thing, why expect him to reach this stage at all?

 

[Gozo Zyreruna]

Spoiler: The many faces of regular people

Spoiler: The many faces of Sora M.

 

[Oliverpool]

Spoiler: The many faces of regular people

View attachment 41109

Spoiler: The many faces of Sora M.

View attachment 41110

When he retires, he can probably be a good poker player

 

[zeio]

Hao Shuai still views Harimoto and LYJ (neck-and-neck in level but the latter having an edge in mentality) as the greatest threat to CNT.

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QzfQV55mf
体育课代表wik
26-4-4 16:56
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 虽然松岛辉空打莫雷加德这一场打的非常好，因为小莫技术现在掌控的技术不具备于松岛能竞争的这个实力，他打右手还可以，但是打左手，这球是很难打的。
但是作为中国队来讲，他是有一定的实力，头号晋级绝对还是张本智和与林昀儒！
从大赛的这种战绩就能看出来，小莫他再厉害，奥运会决赛被樊振东碾压性的，对张本是4比3，上一届东京奥运会，林昀儒对樊振东也是4比3，那可见这两个人的实力！
相信我的这个职业判断，因为我们都是从中国队出来的，站在中国队的角度，考虑的是非常专业，非常全面的！
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXImdnTW] 体育课代表wik的微博视频
(Hao Shuai: Although Matsushima Sora played exceptionally well against Moregard, Moregard's current technical skills don't match Matsushima's. He's okay against righties, but against lefties, the game becomes very difficult.

However, from the perspective of the Chinese team, Moregard has considerable strength. The top contenders for the next round are definitely still Harimoto Tomokazu and Lin Yun-Ju!

You can see this from their major tournament records. No matter how good Moregard is, he was completely outmatched by Fan Zhendong in the Olympic final, where it was 4-3 against Harimoto. In the previous Tokyo Olympics, Lin Yun-Ju also lost 3-4 to Fan Zhendong. That shows their strength!

Trust my professional judgment because we both come from the Chinese team and consider things from the Chinese perspective, making our analysis very professional and comprehensive!)

https://weibo.com/7749221413/QzdX04y25
心有光自暖
26-4-4 12:06
发布于 广东
来自 微博视频号
郝帅：中国队之所以就张本智和、林昀儒两个威胁最大，就是因为他们打球的气质，还有在大赛当中的意志品质是相当顽强的。你就看成绩就行，奥运会，两届奥运会里能和樊振东打到3比3、打到决胜局的，单打里只有他们两个。
小布再强，也只是进到前四，跟樊振东是4比0，樊振东跟张本智和是4比3。
包括上一届东京奥运会，林昀儒跟樊振东也是4比3。
你看这个战绩就能看出来，想跟樊振东打到3比3，谈何容易。
就他们两个能跟樊振东打到3比3，打到3比3就是第七局伯仲之间了。
小莫你再厉害，拿的冠军才多少，才一个。决赛按理说实力水平旗鼓相当，但跟樊振东4比1就完败。
所以大家要看这个数据，看这个比分就能看出来。#一分钟视频创作季# [http://t.cn/AXInD0D6] 心有光自暖的微博视频
(Hao Shuai: The reason why Harimoto Tomokazu and Lin Yun-Ju pose the biggest threat to the Chinese team is because of their playing style and their incredibly tenacious willpower in major competitions. Just look at their results. In the Olympics, across two Games, only those two players in singles managed to reach 3-3 and the decider with Fan Zhendong.

No matter how strong Little B is, he only reached the top four, 0-4 against Fan Zhendong, while Fan Zhendong won 4-3 against Harimoto Tomokazu.

Including the previous Tokyo Olympics, Fand Zhendong also won 4-3 against Lin Yun-Ju.

You can see from these records that reaching 3-3 with Fan Zhendong is extremely difficult.

Only those two could reach 3-3 with Fan Zhendong, meaning the seventh game was a close contest.

No matter how strong Little Mo is, he only has one title [likely referring to EUR GS 2025, ignoring WTT CS Montpellier 2025, WTT FEE Stockholm 2023 and WTT CT Budapest 2021]. In the final, their skill levels were theoretically even, but he was completely defeated by Fan Zhendong 1-4.

So you can see that by looking at this data and this score.)

---

Ahead of World Cup 2026, saying it still comes down to the real majors.

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QyevJi3wH
体育课代表wik
自主创作
26-3-28 23:41
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 张本智和与林昀儒的谁上限高？
他俩谁发挥好，谁上线都高。现在这种技术体系是相当不错的。林昀儒发球会比张本好一些，发的更快，
弹幕:感觉莫雷加德可不好打？
郝帅: 那是因为你不会打会打的，你让王楚钦跟他打试试，莫雷加德都没什么戏！
#一分钟视频创作季# [http://t.cn/AXILFoh5] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

https://weibo.com/7790173399/Qwg4RxPSp
体育课代表wik
26-3-16 00:00
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 我觉得张本智和林昀儒当成中国队的头号对手，像勒布伦这种都是都是第二梯队的，偶尔那么一次发挥好了，这是很正常。
奥运会尤其是樊振东对阵张本和勒布伦的时候，看看那个比分，看看樊振东他自己本人的压力，中国队的压力，哪个更让大家感觉到有威胁，最后然后樊振东的这个人能力也还是扭转回来的
不能看平时的公开赛，要看真正大赛谁对中国队的威胁最大！
反正我不代表其他人的看法，要我选我还选张本智和林昀儒，是最厉害的外协力量。
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXVFl7jv] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

https://weibo.com/7790173399/QvXb8jEOo
体育课代表wik
26-3-13 23:53
发布于 安徽
来自 微博视频号
郝帅: 林昀儒凭现在的实力还没到达真正巅峰。
预测一下张本智和和台林谁胜率相对高点
我觉得一半一半，其实他俩打法风格都差不多，只不过是一右手一右一个左手。
看他俩明天谁的心态。技术发挥心态运气。谁更好一些吧，他俩整体实力是差不多的，
我觉得小林的心态会比摩托好一些，他属于那种人狠话不多的
#一分钟视频创作季##乒出精彩# [http://t.cn/AXVmyTv1] 体育课代表wik的微博视频

WCQ's interview with Table Tennis World ahead of World Cup 2026, mentioning Harimoto twice, once about Asian Cup 2026 on the immense pressure of the MS final and once about ATTC 2025 on how he couldn't lose, when asked about his most-memorable moment after winning WTTC 2025. FZD also picked his match against Harimoto at WTTC 2022 as the most memorable in an interview in 1/2023.

https://weibo.com/5714274921/QyV9TjNqU
https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309405283285881454777 [Transcript]
千山共赴__
26-4-2 12:15
发布于 山西
来自 iPhone 16 Pro Max
已编辑
#王楚钦# 乒乓世界4月刊

王楚钦采访 [http://t.cn/AXIOEQ27] 王楚钦：只想向上 只想赢

https://weibo.com/6511657553/Qz5SCtuOX
厚豆泥witnesses
26-4-3 15:33
发布于 四川
【乒乓世界｜4月刊】

在王楚钦的心中，他只是一个渴望向上突破的运动员，因此在各方赋予他压力时，他能保持住那份最纯粹的求胜心。

Chinese star Wang Chuqin admits he is trying to emulate stability of Ma Long, Fan Zhendong
The 25-year-old was thrust into leadership role for the national table tennis team after the veterans withdrew from world rankings in 2024
https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/ar...trying-emulate-stability-ma-long-fan-zhendong

Stephy Zhang
Published: 5:30pm, 8 Apr 2026

Chinese table tennis star Wang Chuqin admitted in a recent interview that he is trying to emulate the stability provided by legends Ma Long and Fan Zhendong in his new role leading the men’s national team.

After Ma and Fan withdrew from the world rankings in late 2024 after the Paris Olympics, Wang was thrust into the spotlight for the Chinese men’s team.

Wang was interviewed by a mainland sports magazine before the ITTF World Cup event in Macau for an article published online on Tuesday.

“Suddenly my role [in the national team] changed ... [for people looking in] from the outside, I need to shoulder a lot of responsibility,” the 25-year-old said.

Wang, however, maintains that his primary focus is still on winning.

“Only by winning can you say you’ve handled the pressure and responsibility; I believe that is the correct order.”

The world No 1 views pressure as a natural by-product of professional progress, but on the table, he treats these feelings as “distractions” that he overcomes by trying to win.

Wang added that winning was the ultimate fulfilment of duty: “Because only when you win can you truly shoulder it [responsibility].”

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wang played as a “challenger”, which allowed him to “charge ahead without restraint” while the two veterans absorbed the pressure of representing the national team.

“I am not as stable as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong yet. The responsibility they carried and the mental support they provided ... that is the level I am striving to reach.”

Despite losing to Fan at the National Games six months ago, Wang found the experience encouraging.

“Dong-ge [Fan] exposed my technical flaws, showing me where I need to improve,” he said.

While some players choose selective rest periods in the season, Wang continues playing to push himself to the limit mentally and physically.

“I want to see where my limits and bottom lines are,” he said. “Will I break? Will I lose consecutively? Where is my potential?”

Wang said this process has improved his resilience and over the past two years he has learned how to push through mid-match “power outages”, fighting until the very end, even in defeat.

At the WTT Finals in Hong Kong last December, Wang withdrew from the semi-finals before his match against Sweden’s Truls Moregard. The player shared that the back injury he picked up at the tournament made even “breathing painful”.

When asked about his “domineering and handsome” playing presence, Wang said he only feels proud, not handsome, in the moment after winning a high-pressure match.

Wang was the sole Chinese male player to reach the quarter-finals of the ITTF World Cup in Macau last week, eventually securing his maiden World Cup title.

---

王楚钦还是在意张本智和啊 (WCQ is still concerned about Harimoto Tomokazu)
https://tieba.baidu.com/p/10623596393

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...sh-sweden-august-14-24-2025.35820/post-537555

In a live stream, ZJK actually praised LSD for doing very well for his age.

He's the youngest-ever WR1. ML was losing left and right at his age under the protection of WLQ, MLin and WH. LSD has practically none.

 

[zeio]

CBTM cut out Matsushima from the photo in their Instagram post...

https://weibo.com/5622866114/QzBsd0FLt
https://weibo.com/3582319641/QzBha6V4Z

 

[NetProphet]

PS: Isn't there a clear conflict between "Matsushima was a huge benefactor of nepotism" and "Matsushima took longer than expected to reach this stage" - if nepotism was the main thing, why expect him to reach this stage at all?

You've got to put your hand up and concede this one @zeio

There's absolutely no way these can exist side by side. The only chance your nepotism argument had was that Sora falls flat on his face and drops out of the picture.
When he shows this level of performance you have to admit that the coaches chose to work and develop the potential we are seeing come to fruition.
You provide a lot of info and background stuff that many of us would otherwise never encounter but it's also ok to be be wrong every now and then 😉

 

[DrBean]

You've got to put your hand up and concede this one @zeio

There's absolutely no way these can exist side by side. The only chance your nepotism argument had was that Sora falls flat on his face and drops out of the picture.
When he shows this level of performance you have to admit that the coaches chose to work and develop the potential we are seeing come to fruition.
You provide a lot of info and background stuff that many of us would otherwise never encounter but it's also ok to be be wrong every now and then 😉

I think it's fine when he posts the translations but when he adds his own embellishments it distorts the whole message. I didn't find where he said Sora was a product of nepotism (nepo baby perhaps, but it's hard to be a nepo baby in sports, unless you're Bronny), but turning recruiting 188 young athletes for strengthening into "producing 188 prodigies" is neither elucidating nor factual.

Anyway to keep this somewhat on track - he thought Sora was the second coming of Tomo but in fact I think Sora will far surpass what Tomo can achieve. While Tomo has relative advantages in certain categories, Sora has absolute advantages the same and more.

 

[NetProphet]

I think it's fine when he posts the translations but when he adds his own embellishments it distorts the whole message. I didn't find where he said Sora was a product of nepotism (nepo baby perhaps, but it's hard to be a nepo baby in sports, unless you're Bronny), but turning recruiting 188 young athletes for strengthening into "producing 188 prodigies" is neither elucidating nor factual.

Anyway to keep this somewhat on track - he thought Sora was the second coming of Tomo but in fact I think Sora will far surpass what Tomo can achieve. While Tomo has relative advantages in certain categories, Sora has absolute advantages the same and more.

Well the Nepo baby I read some time ago, last year I believe and it was mentioned more than once.
That's all fine, we all judge this from the outside and people can judge how they like but when you go on record more than once with your beliefs then you lose credibility if you don't state the obvious when your Nepo baby is out playing everyone except an imperious world no1.

Sora might surpass Tomo, or maybe not. The last few percent is the wbso hardest to attain and Sora has to first prove that he actually wants to be the best player in the world. So far he had been a fly by the seat of his pants Maverick with all the ups and downs that come with that approach. And so he should be as he's only just 18, let the kid express himself.
But there's a lot of learning to be done that also might never happen - who knows what attitude and approach Sora will take over the next 3 years?
I'm just going to enjoy it myself and I'm not one for criticising kids for being kids but I am also hoping he will choose to make the most of his talent.

 

[NextLevel]

Well the Nepo baby I read some time ago, last year I believe and it was mentioned more than once.
That's all fine, we all judge this from the outside and people can judge how they like but when you go on record more than once with your beliefs then you lose credibility if you don't state the obvious when your Nepo baby is out playing everyone except an imperious world no1.

Sora might surpass Tomo, or maybe not. The last few percent is the wbso hardest to attain and Sora has to first prove that he actually wants to be the best player in the world. So far he had been a fly by the seat of his pants Maverick with all the ups and downs that come with that approach. And so he should be as he's only just 18, let the kid express himself.
But there's a lot of learning to be done that also might never happen - who knows what attitude and approach Sora will take over the next 3 years?
I'm just going to enjoy it myself and I'm not one for criticising kids for being kids but I am also hoping he will choose to make the most of his talent.

Stop using Western values...

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/sun-yang-looks-crazy-good.31357/post-518335

 

[DrBean]

Well the Nepo baby I read some time ago, last year I believe and it was mentioned more than once.
That's all fine, we all judge this from the outside and people can judge how they like but when you go on record more than once with your beliefs then you lose credibility if you don't state the obvious when your Nepo baby is out playing everyone except an imperious world no1.

Sora might surpass Tomo, or maybe not. The last few percent is the wbso hardest to attain and Sora has to first prove that he actually wants to be the best player in the world. So far he had been a fly by the seat of his pants Maverick with all the ups and downs that come with that approach. And so he should be as he's only just 18, let the kid express himself.
But there's a lot of learning to be done that also might never happen - who knows what attitude and approach Sora will take over the next 3 years?
I'm just going to enjoy it myself and I'm not one for criticising kids for being kids but I am also hoping he will choose to make the most of his talent.

I with you here. In current form Sora is flying but I guess he needs the hardware to solidify the eye test. Either way, we’re just spectators, and can only enjoy the ride. But the lad definitely delivers exciting matches win or lose.

He might need some extended recovery though - he was pawing at his shoulder before the final and starting in games 6 when he got gassed he started to clutch at it more but I think that was more of the “let people know I’m hurt so I’m not playing well” kind - not a dig, lots of athletes just do it subconsciously.

 

[zeio]

Yet another waste of time. 真係講多句都嘥𨳊氣，再解釋都多𨳊餘。 Knock yourself out.

Posting the following for future reference. The accusation/allegation of favoritism/nepotism against JTTA is nothing new. Kato was the one representing JPN at Nanjing 2014.

告発 日本人トップ(牛嶋星羅)を代表に選ばない卓球協会の暗部 (Exposing the dark side of the Table Tennis Association: Why they didn't select Japan's top player (Ushijima Seira) as a representative)
https://gendai.media/articles/-/37928

ちなみに、「新・天才卓球少女」として注目を集めている13歳の伊藤美誠はアカデミーを選ばなかった。

「彼女のことは、女子ナショナルチームの監督がかかわっている関西卓球アカデミーが面倒を見ています。ナショナルチーム監督でも愛弟子をエリートアカデミーには入れたがらない。卓球界なら常識ですが、育成力のない組織に入れて才能を潰されたくないんです」(同)

7年後、東京五輪開催の年に牛嶋は22歳だ。大人の事情に振り回されない圧倒的な実力で代表の座を勝ち取る。それが今のモチベーションだ。

「フライデー」2014年1月3日号より

(Incidentally, 13-year-old Ito Mima, who is attracting attention as the "new prodigy of table tennis," did not choose to join an academy.

"She is being looked after by the Kansai Table Tennis Academy, which is involved with the women's national team coach. Even the national team coach doesn't want to put his favorite protégé into an elite academy. It's common sense in the table tennis world; they don't want their talent to be stifled by putting them in an organization that lacks the ability to nurture talent." (Ditto)

Seven years from now, in the year of the Tokyo Olympics, Ushijima will be 22 years old. Her current motivation is to win a place on the national team with overwhelming skill, unaffected by adult considerations.

From "Friday" January 3, 2014 issue)

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/JOCエリートアカデミー#評価

2014年（平成26年）現在、卓球のエリートアカデミー生には福原愛や石川佳純に次ぐ「新たな黄金世代」が在籍していると言われている[32]。またスポーツ科学ジャーナリストの玉村治は、エリートアカデミーによる育成の強化によって卓球の日本選手の世界ランクが上がっていると述べている[33]。一方で、南京ユースオリンピック予選会への代表選考において、国際卓球連盟から出場の招待を受けた選手（中学以降に頭角を現したためエリートアカデミー生ではない）が、日本卓球協会による裁定でエリートアカデミー生を代表に選んだため出場できなくなるという事態が発生した[34]。この問題を報じた『フライデー』は更にスポーツ紙記者の話として、アカデミー生は全日本選手権の予選免除などの優遇措置や国費で遠征費用を出してもらえるなどの環境によって「明日の日本代表」だと勘違いし、競争心がなくなると指摘している[35]。

(As of 2014, it is said that the elite table tennis academy has a "new golden generation" following in the footsteps of Fukuhara Ai and Ishikawa Kasumi.[32] Sports science journalist Tamamura Osamu has also stated that the strengthening of training at the elite academy has led to an increase in the world rankings of Japanese table tennis players.[33] On the other hand, in the selection of representatives for the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games qualifiers, a player who had been invited to participate by the International Table Tennis Federation (who was not an elite academy student because she had made a name for himself after junior high school) was unable to participate because the Japan Table Tennis Association ruled that an elite academy student should be selected as the representative.[34] Friday, which reported on this issue, further quoted a sports newspaper reporter as saying that the academy students are given preferential treatment such as exemption from the All-Japan Championships qualifiers and have their travel expenses covered by the government, which leads them to mistakenly believe that they are "tomorrow's representatives of Japan" and to lose their competitive spirit.[35])

---

松島輝空がJOCエリートアカデミーを終了。4月から木下アカデミーに所属
https://world-tt.com/blog/news/archives/20954

JOCエリートアカデミーは3年事業。中学1年で入学して中学3年で卒業となるが、引き続き在籍を希望する場合は最長6年（高校3年）まで在籍することができる。まだ中学2年の松島は3年事業の2年目だが、本人の希望によりJOCエリートアカデミーを終了する。これまでは途中で移籍した選手については辞退者という扱いだったが、松島についてはJOCエリートアカデミーを終了することが認められ、終了証書も授与されたという。

(The JOC Elite Academy is a three-year program. Students enroll in their first year of junior high school and graduate in their third year, but they can remain enrolled for up to six years (up to the third year of high school) if they wish to continue. Matsushima is still in his second year of junior high school and is in his second year of the three-year program, but he will be leaving the JOC Elite Academy at his own request. Until now, athletes who transferred to other academies midway through the program were treated as dropouts, but in Matsushima's case, he was allowed to leave the JOC Elite Academy and was even given a Certificate of Finish.)

卓球・松島輝空　4月から木下アカデミー所属　パリ五輪見据える14歳「プロ活動になっていく」
https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2022/03/25/articles/20220325s00026000598000c.html

　中学2年から中学3年になる段階で所属先が変わることになった松島について、日本卓球協会の宮崎義仁強化本部長は次のように説明した。

　「今までなら辞退者となっていたが、松島は2年間、しっかりやったということで、JOCエリートアカデミーから終了証書をいただきました。修了、ではなく終了。4月1日から木下アカデミーになる」。今後については「プロ活動になっていく。学生ですから、勉強をこなしながらプロ活動をしていくことになる。プロ選手だと思います」と語った。星槎中には継続して通い続けるという。

(Regarding Matsushima, whose affiliation will change between his second and third year of junior high school, Miyazaki Yoshihito, head of the Japan Table Tennis Association's Strengthening Headquarters, explained as follows:

"Until now, he would have been considered a dropout, but Matsushima has worked diligently for two years, so he has received a Certificate of Finish from the JOC Elite Academy. It's not a Completion, but a Finish. From April 1st, he will be joining the Kinoshita Academy." Regarding his future, he said, "He will be pursuing professional activities. Since he is a student, he will be balancing his studies with his professional activities. I think he will be a professional player." He will continue to attend Seisa Junior High School.)

---

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...or-wttc-finals-2026-2-16-17.35128/post-568999

More info on LA28 after the board meeting on 2026/3/14. As of this moment, it looks like a player can all 4 events.

The continuation of JOC Elite Academy was also touched on.

ロス五輪代表は4種目に出場か？ 強化本部はITTFへの確認を経て選考基準を発表へ

ロス五輪代表は4種目に出場か？ 強化本部はITTFへの確認を経て選考基準を発表へ

2028年ロサンゼルス五輪まで残り2年4カ月（※実質的な選考期間は2年）となった。トップ選手たちに「まだ2年ある」と考え...

world-tt.com

---

P.S. For comparison, Hirano graduated from the JOC Elite Academy a year ahead of schedule (3 mandatory + 2 of 3 optional years) and turned pro, roughly 2 weeks before her 18th birthday (the legal age of adulthood was still 20 in Japan at that point, which was changed to 18 in 4/2022, but JTTA still strictly abides by the WJTTC U18 principle for WYC U19 events so 18 is a good cut-off age between junior/youth and senior) and almost 1 year after her winning the ATTC 2017 (the day after her 17th birthday), so she managed to stick around for that long, during which the CNT was out hunting after her in full force.

“異例”のタイミングでプロ宣言。
平野美宇、知られざる半年間の葛藤。
https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/830370?page=1

　そこには平野が在籍するJOCエリートアカデミーを1年前倒しで修了し、プロ活動を開始する旨が明記されていた。

　平野が同アカデミーを辞めてプロに転向するという話はこれまで噂にすらなったことがなかった。

　まさに青天の霹靂。

　同アカデミーによれば、高校3年時の修了を待たずに施設を去る選手の例は過去にもあったというが、大々的に記者会見を開くのは今回が初めてだという。それだけ平野の実績、存在感は大きく、JOCエリートアカデミーとしてはきちんとけじめをつけておく必要があったということになる。

(The document clearly stated that Hirano would be graduating from the JOC Elite Academy, where she was enrolled, a year ahead of schedule, and would begin her professional career.

The idea of Hirano leaving the academy to turn professional had never even been rumored before.

It was truly a bolt from the blue.

According to the academy, there have been instances in the past of athletes leaving the facility before completing their third year of high school, but this was the first time they had held a major press conference. This indicates that Hirano's achievements and presence were so significant that the JOC Elite Academy felt it necessary to properly mark the occasion.)

 

[JackJohnson]

CBTM cut out Matsushima from the photo in their Instagram post...

https://weibo.com/5622866114/QzBsd0FLt
https://weibo.com/3582319641/QzBha6V4Z

I saw this as well before this post. I’m not sure why they did that. Theres a big Japanese community in Brazil so the relationship between these 2 countries should be good. This is not looking good for either CTTA and CBTM.

I feel like both are disrespecting Sora and Japan by ignoring them whether its cutting him out of the live feed handshakes at the ceremony or pictures of the players with their medals.

 

[NetProphet]

Yet another waste of time. 真係講多句都嘥𨳊氣，再解釋都多𨳊餘。 Knock yourself out.

Posting the following for future reference. The accusation/allegation of favoritism/nepotism against JTTA is nothing new. Kato was the one representing JPN at Nanjing 2014.

告発 日本人トップ(牛嶋星羅)を代表に選ばない卓球協会の暗部 (Exposing the dark side of the Table Tennis Association: Why they didn't select Japan's top player (Ushijima Seira) as a representative)
https://gendai.media/articles/-/37928

(Incidentally, 13-year-old Ito Mima, who is attracting attention as the "new prodigy of table tennis," did not choose to join an academy.

"She is being looked after by the Kansai Table Tennis Academy, which is involved with the women's national team coach. Even the national team coach doesn't want to put his favorite protégé into an elite academy. It's common sense in the table tennis world; they don't want their talent to be stifled by putting them in an organization that lacks the ability to nurture talent." (Ditto)

Seven years from now, in the year of the Tokyo Olympics, Ushijima will be 22 years old. Her current motivation is to win a place on the national team with overwhelming skill, unaffected by adult considerations.

From "Friday" January 3, 2014 issue)

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/JOCエリートアカデミー#評価

(As of 2014, it is said that the elite table tennis academy has a "new golden generation" following in the footsteps of Fukuhara Ai and Ishikawa Kasumi.[32] Sports science journalist Tamamura Osamu has also stated that the strengthening of training at the elite academy has led to an increase in the world rankings of Japanese table tennis players.[33] On the other hand, in the selection of representatives for the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games qualifiers, a player who had been invited to participate by the International Table Tennis Federation (who was not an elite academy student because she had made a name for himself after junior high school) was unable to participate because the Japan Table Tennis Association ruled that an elite academy student should be selected as the representative.[34] Friday, which reported on this issue, further quoted a sports newspaper reporter as saying that the academy students are given preferential treatment such as exemption from the All-Japan Championships qualifiers and have their travel expenses covered by the government, which leads them to mistakenly believe that they are "tomorrow's representatives of Japan" and to lose their competitive spirit.[35])

---

松島輝空がJOCエリートアカデミーを終了。4月から木下アカデミーに所属
https://world-tt.com/blog/news/archives/20954

(The JOC Elite Academy is a three-year program. Students enroll in their first year of junior high school and graduate in their third year, but they can remain enrolled for up to six years (up to the third year of high school) if they wish to continue. Matsushima is still in his second year of junior high school and is in his second year of the three-year program, but he will be leaving the JOC Elite Academy at his own request. Until now, athletes who transferred to other academies midway through the program were treated as dropouts, but in Matsushima's case, he was allowed to leave the JOC Elite Academy and was even given a Certificate of Finish.)

卓球・松島輝空　4月から木下アカデミー所属　パリ五輪見据える14歳「プロ活動になっていく」
https://www.sponichi.co.jp/sports/news/2022/03/25/articles/20220325s00026000598000c.html

(Regarding Matsushima, whose affiliation will change between his second and third year of junior high school, Miyazaki Yoshihito, head of the Japan Table Tennis Association's Strengthening Headquarters, explained as follows:

"Until now, he would have been considered a dropout, but Matsushima has worked diligently for two years, so he has received a Certificate of Finish from the JOC Elite Academy. It's not a Completion, but a Finish. From April 1st, he will be joining the Kinoshita Academy." Regarding his future, he said, "He will be pursuing professional activities. Since he is a student, he will be balancing his studies with his professional activities. I think he will be a professional player." He will continue to attend Seisa Junior High School.)

---

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...or-wttc-finals-2026-2-16-17.35128/post-568999

---

P.S. For comparison, Hirano graduated from the JOC Elite Academy a year ahead of schedule (3 mandatory + 2 of 3 optional years) and turned pro, roughly 2 weeks before her 18th birthday (the legal age of adulthood was still 20 in Japan at that point, which was changed to 18 in 4/2022, but JTTA still strictly abides by the WJTTC U18 principle for WYC U19 events so 18 is a good cut-off age between junior/youth and senior) and almost 1 year after her winning the ATTC 2017 (the day after her 17th birthday), so she managed to stick around for that long, during which the CNT was out hunting after her in full force.

“異例”のタイミングでプロ宣言。
平野美宇、知られざる半年間の葛藤。
https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/830370?page=1

(The document clearly stated that Hirano would be graduating from the JOC Elite Academy, where she was enrolled, a year ahead of schedule, and would begin her professional career.

The idea of Hirano leaving the academy to turn professional had never even been rumored before.

It was truly a bolt from the blue.

According to the academy, there have been instances in the past of athletes leaving the facility before completing their third year of high school, but this was the first time they had held a major press conference. This indicates that Hirano's achievements and presence were so significant that the JOC Elite Academy felt it necessary to properly mark the occasion.)

I cannot read this before you admit you were wrong about Sora and the JNT were correct to have him with them all these years.
Credibility is 👎

 

[Bollwerk]

I saw this as well before this post. I’m not sure why they did that. Theres a big Japanese community in Brazil so the relationship between these 2 countries should be good. This is not looking good for either CTTA and CBTM.

I feel like both are disrespecting Sora and Japan by ignoring them whether its cutting him out of the live feed handshakes at the ceremony or pictures of the players with their medals.

In CBTM's case it looks to me like the only thought that went into this is having Hugo front and center on the images. Which is still a bad idea, but i doubt it's targeted against Sora/Japan specifically, think they were going to cut the silver medalist no matter who ended up there.

 

[NetProphet]

In CBTM's case it looks to me like the only thought that went into this is having Hugo front and center on the images. Which is still a bad idea, but i doubt it's targeted against Sora/Japan specifically, think they were going to cut the silver medalist no matter who ended up there.

Right.
If WCQ took the Silver they'd have shown a lovely big picture of Sora, Hugo and LYJ 😂

 

[zeio]

I cannot read this before you admit you were wrong about Sora and the JNT were correct to have him with them all these years.
Credibility is 👎

You're losing me there. It's exactly because the JTTA continued to give Matsushima the resources (such as MD and XD events that are determined by either JTTA or club) over other potential competitors when he didn't have the results to back them up, in the process eliminating/blocking those (such as Yoshiyama Ryoichi with better Road to Paris results and notable international wins) from improving and posing future threats to his rise, therefore, sooner or later Matsushima would be the only one left to succeed.

BTW, SYS addressed the issue of her weight during the World Cup 2026 (that you and some members took issue with, unlike some others), treating the public concern humorously yet tackling it seriously under the strict surveillance monitoring of the evil CCP 翔哥/brother Xiang and 任姐/sister Ren during the 10-day forced-labor training camp.

https://weibo.com/5229334406/Qyx55BiuV
精神病院派来的猴子
26-3-30 22:58
发布于 河南
来自 微博视频号
2026年澳门乒乓球世界杯#大家也都感受到孙颖莎瘦了吧#
孙颖莎：封闭训练其实对于我们现在来说，一年当中也是非常重要的一个环节，因为确实现在赛事很多，刚刚重庆冠军赛结束再到澳门世界杯前，有10天的这种封闭训练。我记得首先肯定还是从身体包括技术，我觉得可能更丰厚了一些，但我觉得可能自己最满意的一点还是瘦了一些，当然我觉得相信大家其实也能感觉到吧。首先瘦了也是自己在封闭训练当中的目标吧，也是第一目标，所以说这种跟翔哥包括任姐我觉得其实在体重方面我觉得还是对我非常严格，因为他们也是希望我体现在赛场上吧。我觉得在比赛中这种移动啊，包括速度会更快一些，但当然经过10天除了体重有变化，我相信这种体能的储备，包括技术的这种提高，我相信肯定也会有一定的厚实度吧，也希望自己能够通过接下来一场一场的比赛，去全力以赴拼好。
cr·郭焱 [http://t.cn/AXIIDlTo] 精神病院派来的猴子的微博视频

---

P.S. Compare JPN's MT and WT for 2026. Why have Tanaka that I've flocked to death, Yoshiyama Ryoichi, or even Hamada (their WRs are not that far behind and are eligible for the 6th MS spot in GS) in the Reserve NT (Kizukuri is not on the roster) when Ito and Odo are in the NT when all of them will not play WTTC 2026?

5 vs 7, why?
https://jtta.or.jp/national/mens
https://jtta.or.jp/national/womens

 

[NetProphet]

You're losing me there. It's exactly because the JTTA continued to give Matsushima the resources (such as MD and XD events that are determined by either JTTA or club) over other potential competitors when he didn't have the results to back them up, in the process eliminating/blocking those (such as Yoshiyama Ryoichi with better Road to Paris results and notable international wins) from improving and posing future threats to his rise, therefore, sooner and later Matsushima would be the only one left to succeed.

BTW, SYS addressed the issue of her weight during the World Cup 2026 (that https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/wtt-finals-fukuoka-2024-11-20-24.35221/post-493967]you[/url] and some members took issue with, unlike some others), treating the public concern humorously yet tackling it seriously under the strict surveillance monitoring of the evil CCP 翔哥/brother Xiang and 任姐/sister Ren during the 10-day forced-labor training camp.

https://weibo.com/5229334406/Qyx55BiuV
精神病院派来的猴子
26-3-30 22:58
发布于 河南
来自 微博视频号
2026年澳门乒乓球世界杯#大家也都感受到孙颖莎瘦了吧#
孙颖莎：封闭训练其实对于我们现在来说，一年当中也是非常重要的一个环节，因为确实现在赛事很多，刚刚重庆冠军赛结束再到澳门世界杯前，有10天的这种封闭训练。我记得首先肯定还是从身体包括技术，我觉得可能更丰厚了一些，但我觉得可能自己最满意的一点还是瘦了一些，当然我觉得相信大家其实也能感觉到吧。首先瘦了也是自己在封闭训练当中的目标吧，也是第一目标，所以说这种跟翔哥包括任姐我觉得其实在体重方面我觉得还是对我非常严格，因为他们也是希望我体现在赛场上吧。我觉得在比赛中这种移动啊，包括速度会更快一些，但当然经过10天除了体重有变化，我相信这种体能的储备，包括技术的这种提高，我相信肯定也会有一定的厚实度吧，也希望自己能够通过接下来一场一场的比赛，去全力以赴拼好。
cr·郭焱 [http://t.cn/AXIIDlTo] 精神病院派来的猴子的微博视频

I understand where you are coming from BUT if you throw resources at people without talent you get nothing.
Its obvious now what the coaches saw at the time, the guy is an amazing talent and so their efforts were correctly directed at the right people. It's not all about results at underage and not should it be, that applies to most sports across the board.
Anyway, you were wrong about Sora. We don't need you to admit it for us to know it but I thought it would be interesting for you to reassess earlier comments.

 

[zeio]

I saw this as well before this post. I’m not sure why they did that. Theres a big Japanese community in Brazil so the relationship between these 2 countries should be good. This is not looking good for either CTTA and CBTM.

I feel like both are disrespecting Sora and Japan by ignoring them whether its cutting him out of the live feed handshakes at the ceremony or pictures of the players with their medals.

First thing that came to mind was the international friendly that Brazil lost after a 2-0 lead in 10/2025.

Japan makes history as Brazil records 'unacceptable' 3-2 loss in international friendly
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...-in-football-international-friendly/105893036

日本 vs ブラジル：サムライブルーが見せた奇跡の大逆転、ブラジルを震撼させる
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHLVvbHImEg

Before today, no team has ever trailed by 2 goals vs Brazil at half time and still won the game. Japan did it now.
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1o6itzd/before_today_no_team_has_ever_trailed_by_2_goals/

https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/comments/1o6itzd

 

[zeio]

Egyptian Gazette on Goda.

Table tennis queen sets new records in China
https://egyptian-gazette.com/sports/table-tennis-queen-sets-new-records-in-china/

Coach Ismail: Player ready to keep making history
...
Hana’s success is the result of years of hard work.

While she represents the Egyptian national team, she also gains valuable experience playing for the French club Metz TT (Metz Tennis de Table).
...
Hana’s coach, Hisham Ismail, said she prepares for these big events by holding training camps in countries like Germany and France, and sometimes in Egypt.
...
When Hana returned home, she was given a hero’s welcome by Minister of Youth and Sports, GawharNabil, and the President of the Table Tennis Federation, Maj. Gen. Ashraf Helmy who received her at the airport.

https://weibo.com/5229334406/QArsxAWwZ