Did Fan Zhendong lose to Harimoto on purpose? (Asian Cup 2018)

On purpose or not?

  • Yes! To win more medals!

    Votes: 32 74.4%
  • No! Harimoto is stronger

    Votes: 11 25.6%

  • Total voters
    43
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jan 2017
120
176
423
Hello,

I didn't want to disrespect the performance of "Harimoto Tomokazu" over Fan Zhendong.
But not only me, but many viewers on the Chinese forum, has mentioned about the bracket.

At the same time of the match Fan Zhendong vs Harimoto, Lin Gaoyuan was struggling with Lee Sangsue (0-2 down).
If Fan won Harimoto, Fan and Lin will meet at the semi-final. So China will lose 1 medal (silver).

What do you think guy?



[URL='https://pingsunday.com/why-fan-zhendong-lost-to-harimoto-tomokazu/']Bracket of the tournament - Bracket of the tournament
[/URL]


Read more about the "bracket" and "why they need to switch branch" here.
 
Last edited:
It's always posible, but I doubt.
In his match with FZD, Harimoto worked out a lot of his points definitely, no FZD involved.
In his other matches Harimoto made a lot of mistakes on his own, with not so much unforgiveble mistakes he would go farher.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jun 2017
330
219
552
This theory is based on 1) The Chinese players only lose when they want to. 2) No-one will ever develop tactics to consistently beat Chinese players. 3) Game-fixing is common in Chinese table tennis. 4) Chinese coaches have to maintain medal counts as their players and their whole system of recruiting and training is slipping, both for national prestige and for personal income. 5) Table Tennis has gone the way of professional sports, sinking into that pit of lies like Chinese pro soccer and US college basketball. 6) Table tennis sites will start to be covered with betting sites. 7)ITTF will change the clothing rules for women to make them wear underwear with centimeter minimums for cleavage and camel toe.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Aug 2016
869
1,202
2,883
I remember Liu Guoliang saying once in a a documentary interview how proud he was that China claimed all the top spots in an Olympics or something like that. So when I first read the topic "lost on purpose" my gut reaction was to say no way.

But after watching the video and understanding how the seeding would work out. And for the China to claim 1st & 2nd and play in the final, it seems like a very CNT strategy thing to do. So I find it easily believable. In fact, I probably should go further than that. Yes, I think it happened.
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Jan 2016
4,018
4,578
19,072
Bullshit
TH beat FZD because he played better

Losing one match to your rival is tantamount to give him confidence for the bigger matches. You have to crush your opponents all the time.

TH has won much more than a match here

Emthacrich and others you are ridiculous with those conspiracy theories
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Jun 2017
330
219
552
The ITTF goes to great lengths to implement fair bracketing and if there was game-fixing going on and Fan Zhendong lost on purpose to take advantage of the bracket rules, that's just nasty. However, it in no way takes away the phenomenal advances made by Tomo. He did not end up where he is today by shady moves by the Chinese coaches and players. He played fiercely against Xu Xin and Dima to 4-3 3-point games along with stunning victories against Boll, Samsonov, etc. He rose to the national champion of Japan without such nasty game-fixing. He developed an entire strategy of 10 masterful tactics that has changed how people play against Chinese masters. None of this has been diminished by a possibly crooked game by Fan Zhendong and/or Wang Hao.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2014
473
950
2,869
Read 3 reviews
I haven't watched your video but this is a pointless discussion. There is currently no way for us to know. But here I go anyway..

I'm a massive fan of the CNT, especially Ma Long and FZD. They better not be match fixing, that would be despicable and they know it. To ensure two medals in a competition that isn't even that important for FZD to lose to TH also doesn't make any sense. I also don't believe it's that easy to intentionally lose a match without making it obvious. In this case it does not seem obvious at all.

Lets give the CNT a bit of credit, surely no one wants to believe that they fixed this match as that would be MUCH worse than FZD losing to TH.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TTFrenzy
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Dec 2015
1,057
1,180
2,719
Read 1 reviews
I don't think it's impossible. However it was only a bo5 and in the end meaningless game for the end result so might just been lucky. All of this is a lot of speculation. If you speculate that China would never show weakness to Japan ahead of World Championship/ Olympics, one could also argue that China gives them some slight hope in a minor competition to increase the overall fan interest, as even chinese viewers lose interest in table tennis because of them winning everything.
 
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
Well-Known Member
Jan 2018
7,176
9,277
18,200
It's not pointless. The reason this whole fixing suspicion gains traction is due to the way the main draw was done. The draw for Winners/Runner-ups of Group A AND B are fixed. That's where fixing becomes possible.

Winner Group A, 1
Winner play-off, 2/7
Runner-up Group B, 3
Winner/Runner-up Group C, 4/5
Winner/Runner-up Group C, 4/5
Runner-up Group A, 6
Winner play-off, 2/7
Winner Group B, 8

As far as possible, the second player from the same Association
shall be drawn so that they do not meet before the semi-final stage.
 
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
says Shoo...nothing to see here. - zeio
Well-Known Member
Jan 2018
7,176
9,277
18,200
This is the time when knowing Chinese comes in handy. Read the comments by WH and FZD and you will see.
 
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Member
Dec 2014
473
950
2,869
Read 3 reviews
It's not pointless. The reason this whole fixing suspicion gains traction is due to the way the main draw was done. The draw for Winners/Runner-ups of Group A AND B are fixed. That's where fixing becomes possible.

I think you misunderstood my post.

The discussion itself is pointless, because again, there is no way of knowing. All it is doing is creating unnecessary controversy.

Looking at the characters of the CNT I find it unlikely that they would intentionally lose games for an extra medal in a competition that isn't even that important for them. FZD stood up for LGL, you can tell he has integrity. Why on earth would he lose to TH on purpose just so that they could potentially get a silver medal? How could he sleep at night after that?

What were the comments? If there was a certain way of knowing FZD lost on purpose I'd be extremely disappointed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TTFrenzy
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Well-Known Member
Sep 2016
1,024
1,960
3,016
Question 1, did FZD lose to CCA last Asian Cup on purpose?
Question 2, did LGY lose to JM last Asian Cup on purpose?
Question 3, did FZD lose to LGY last Asian Cup final on purpose?
Question 4, did LGY lose to FZD this Asian Cup final on purpose?
 
Last edited:
This user has no status.
This user has no status.
Active Member
Oct 2012
891
510
1,733
Read 1 reviews
Did Lin Gaoyuan lose before FZD did? If the answer is yes then it is possible that FZD deliberately lost to HT. Conspiracy theory it seems to be but it makes sense and we will never known the answer.

If that were true then the real reason for FZD to deliberately lost to HT would be "to have higher chance for CNT members to be Asian Champion, then more top medals."

This controversy will help TT future, though.
 
Top