Actually beyond that, what amazes me is the size of the entire CNT operation, which can be seen on that other thread. There is the exercise physiologist from Poland. Massage therapists galore including a specialist from Croatia. Researchers who sit in on mandatory video review sessions of each potential foreign opponent, breaking down strengths and weaknesses and discussing tactics by committee. One official coach per player. Meetings with reports from the entire table tennis bureaucracy. 2 vs 1 drills against all sorts of CNT practice partners (and who knows how many provincial players who would salivate at the thought of being part of that). Noise of fan-girls piped in (and men and women at their own separate magnificent facilities). Players of course are paid continually throughout this (and have been since they were taken to ping pong jail at the age of 10 or 11). The politics of how one gets to be part of that is not what interests me. It is true in all human endeavors at all places and times that having the right connections can help you in life, and intensive competent training of young children produces better results than starting as a teenager.
It is simply the size of the operation, and the number of large operations that feed into it. Even provincial and city teams in China have more resources devoted to TT than any number of countries that have players in the world top 100. It just amazes me.
So when the e.g. Portuguese player is up against a CNT player (for example), I will be cheering for Portugal. That person has to play professionally where he can, generally not in his own country, supporting himself as best as he can in leagues and tournaments, designing his own training and in large measure paying for it. This is nothing personal against CNT players. They are amazing. Just me cheering for the underdog.
