Views are my own and I'm by no way acting as a spokesperson for the AC here. My view is the rule should be abolished immediately. It is purely an administration rule brought on by officials with little insight into the sport. It was not created to address any problem in the sport - spectators, players, doctors, coaches were not the ones requesting to ban boosters. The only justifications I have ever heard to this rule is that table tennis should be a clean sport (mineral oil is clean, no adverse health effects, heck you can drink it) and that everyone should have a level playing field (remove the rule and everyone will have a level playing field).
It irritates me to see these big rooms full of officials at major events getting our their eye pieces to measure 0.04mm on rubbers and blowing on their (unreliable) air sensor devices to see if a poor unassuming player accidentally spilled some oil while rubbing it on his baby's bottom.
I've never tried any Japanese national team level rubbers, but I heard many of the top top Europeans say they wish their Tenergy were as good as the Tenergy the Japanese Butterfly sponsored players receive.
I agree with this all the way. The Japanese team gets the best Tenergy so, for Jun to complain about other people boosting is a little off in my opinion.
Also, there is no real reason for a ban on boosters that are safe. If the ban on non-VOC boosters was lifted, then it is a personal choice whether you boost or not. If you choose to boost with non-VOC boosters I don't see a problem.
As far as making a level playing field, I agree that lifting the ban on non-VOC boost is the only way to do something close to that. You cannot make it so that everyone has the same equipment. That is ridiculous. Then we might as well ban sponge, pips, antispin, different kinds of wood, Carbon. Give everyone the same exact piece of equipment. I don't think so. Different playing styles use different equipment. There is more difference between antispin and Tenergy than there is between Tenergy and boosted Tenergy. There is more difference between Hurricane and Tenergy than there is between Tenergy and Boosted Tenergy. There is more difference between a Timo Boll ALC and a Primorac Off- than there is between a Tenergy and a boosted Tenergy.
So, if, by saying, "level playing field" you mean that you use what ever equipment you have, then there is absolutely no reason to ban non-VOC boost, because it does less to change the playing characteristics of a sponge than just getting a completely different kind of setup. If, by saying, "level the playing field" you meant that everyone should use the same exact piece of equipment, then you are dreaming, delusional, and don't understand how the presence of different kinds of equipment add to the texture, color and richness of the sport.
Back in the hardbat days there still was some actual variety because different kinds of wood are different. But Marty Reisman, much as I loved him, and I did know him, was a one of a kind character. But a lot of his protest about the introduction of sponge had more to do with the fact that, without sponge, he was the best player in the world at the time of the introduction of sponge. And once sponge was introduced, it was clear that he was just another great player. He preferred the idea of going out on top than sharing the throne with others.
So, lets celebrate the differences that allow a player like Joo Se Hyuk to excel and not worry about non-VOC boosters which help offensive players excel as well. And nobody needs to complain that the quality of the Tenergy that Jun Mizutani and the rest of the Japanese team has been getting is far and away better than what Butterfly gives to the rest of the world.
