Li Sun: WYD is out of the Olympic WS race.
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The National Table Tennis Women's Team optimizes the selection for the Paris Olympics, with a focus on the assessment of performance versus Foreign Associations
Reporters learned from the China Table Tennis Team on March 16 that the coaching staff decided to optimize the selection method for the women's team for Paris 2024, with a focus on the assessment of the athletes' performance versus foreign associations. These include including the results of the Saudi Smash 2024 that will commence on May 1st into the period of assessment, comprehensively evaluating the performance of athletes versus foreign associations during the implementation period of the Olympic selection method, and adding consideration to the performance of athletes and players from other associations in subsequent important events.
The team has decided to improve the assessment of the team's athletes' performance against players from other associations in several important events such as this year's Singapore Smash, WTT Champions Incheon, ITTF World Cup Macau, and Saudi Smash. In addition, the coaching staff will comprehensively consider the athletes' performance versus foreign associations after the "Olympic Selection Method" is released.
Starting from the WTTC Durban 2023, the athletes who lose 5 matches versus foreign associations in international competitions will have their Paris Olympic singles qualifications withdrawn by the coaching staff for comprehensive evaluation. The deadline for the women's team's Olympic selection has been adjusted to May 14 after the Saudi Smash. Extending the assessment period will help further examine the athletes' competitive status in competitions versus other associations.
According to the optimized women's team selection criteria, if an athlete loses an important match against players from other associations or fails to advance out of group stage, they will no longer be awarded points for international competitions, and will also be deducted points for winner of the respective event. For example: if you lose to players from other associations in the Grand Smash, 3,000 points will be deducted; if you lose to players from other associations in the WTT Champions, 1,000 points will be deducted; if you fail to advance out of the ITTF World Cup group stage, 3,000 points will be deducted, for each loss in the ITTF World Cup, 3,000 points will be deducted, and if you lose two matches, you will be deducted 6,000 points (cumulative point deductions for the ITTF World Cup).
In addition, if an athlete voluntarily gives up participating in important future competitions to avoid point deductions, the athlete's Olympic qualification will be withdrawn by the coaching staff.
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National Table Tennis Head Coach Li Sun interprets the new rules and emphasizes the win rate in foreign battles
In response to the new rules for the Olympic selection of the women's team, the reporter contacted Li Sun, the head coach of the China table tennis team, to interpret the rules.
Li Sun said that at the WTTC Busan, the China's women's team encountered difficulties, especially limitations of the lineup imposed by the Olympic selection method, which also sounded the alarm for us. We realize that if we do not optimize and adjust in time, we will plant hidden dangers for the upcoming Paris 2024. After the tournament, the coaching staff of the women's team and I reviewed and summarized the tournament in a timely manner and conducted deep introspection. The main purpose of this optimization and adjustment is to select the strongest lineup to successfully complete the mission at the Paris 2024 on behalf of the country.
Li Sun said that after the coaching staff's discussion on the optimization and adjustment of the rules, everyone believed that the original Olympic selection method was generally fair, just, open and transparent, but it lacked evaluation of the performance versus foreign associations. Moreover, there are still limitations in the minor details, especially in terms of lineup and match-ups of playing styles. Therefore, this optimization mainly reflects that the coaching staff focus on the performance of athletes versus foreign associations, including the performance versus foreign associations throughout the entire preparation cycle. Athletes who lose to foreign associations in competitions will no longer be awarded bonus points for international competitions, and bonus points for winners in the respective events will also be deducted. At the same time, adding the assessment of Saudi Smash on top of the original basis is also to better evaluate the competitive states of athletes.
As for the issue of candidates for the Olympic Games that everyone is most concerned about,
Li Sun said that "based on the previous performance versus foreign associations, in the competition for the Olympic candidates of the women's team, Wang Yidi has lost many matches versus foreign associations in the past year. At the WTTC 2023 Durban, the Asian Games 2022 Hangzhou, and the WTTC 2024 Busan, she lost to the main Olympic opponents, which is also extremely rare in the history of national table tennis preparations for the Olympics. After collective research of the coaching staff, it was unanimously agreed upon that she is no longer suitable to continue participating in the Olympic singles competition. Currently, from the perspective of the women's team, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, and Wang Manyu occupy the leading positions in the Olympic singles competition, and they all have rich experience in completing Olympic missions, especially Sun Yingsha's excellent performance in the Paris preparation period. Therefore, objectively speaking, the competition for the no. 2 singles candidate will be more intense. I hope that the women’s team will take this selection optimization as an opportunity to hone themselves in subsequent competitions and strive to earn glory for the country at the Paris 2024."
Li Sun said that the team's key goal and mission at this stage is to select the strongest women's team lineup for the Paris 2024 and go all in to prepare for the Olympics. I hope that the whole team will use this as motivation to stay united and earn glory for the country at the Paris Olympics. The coaching staff will also use the optimized selection method to select athletes with excellent external records and who can complete the Olympic mission to participate in subsequent international competitions and the Olympic Games. Li Sun also said that the coaching staff will maintain a dynamic evaluation of the selection method to ensure that the selection is scientific and efficient.
As the Paris 2024 approaches, the national team's coaching team and athletes are meeting the challenge with a new attitude. I believe that through the optimization of this selection method, the women's team will show an even better performance at the Olympics and win honors for the country.
