Ma Long Left Out of Paris Olympics Singles: Fair or not? - My Thoughts

[@ivanivan4155]

China's decision is probably right but there should be rule that allows champion to defend his title regardless of how many players each country can submit.

[@yoonyulntaeny]

The coaches already communicated the selection criteria and points system to the players properly. They fought each other fairly and they wont complain about the results. Only we fans are confused because we did not know and could not access the info to keep up with the selection rankings contantly over the last 1 year. I think despite the points system we can all agree WCQ is undisputedly deserving right now. And some of us can argue for ML and others for FZD in terms of predicting how well they would do at Paris. But important thing is the points system did not give either player an advantage over the other, so it is fair and they fought on an even playing field where they all knew the rules. Personally I wanted to see ML because i am a biased fan. But this result is better for the national team because the younger players have the chance to build their legacies. Olympics is only once every 4 years, you can easily miss ur chance. ML already won twice, his legacy is set, he will already have a graceful retirement no matter what

[@IsaacSarmina-ob4wz]

This is a good comment.

[@h.h1623]

You put it so well, thank you, I'm sad that ML is not playin, but as you said, the selection is fair and the young players deserve to have their shot at Olympics

[@tobacco118]

Problem lies with IOC, restricting 2 per country regardless of ranking goes against the merit of sports, best competing against the best. It discriminates qualified players who worked hard for their ranking. What a joke, this isn't sports anymore!!

[@krissalkond]

Is TT the only sport in IOC that only have 2?

[@tobacco118]

@@krissalkond Some events limited to 2 regardless of ranking, some are not.

[@deniskabaklic9880]

IOC can easy send green card to player as Ma Long is and give him oportunity to DEFEND OLYMPIC GOLD! Regarding his achievement in TT something like that will be normal. BTW, Zhe Dong and Wang are in better shape than Ma Long and this decision is fair, regardless we like it or not.

[@glutamine1774]

@@deniskabaklic9880 Wang lost the game.

[@deniskabaklic9880]

@@glutamine1774 Yes, he lost the game. But, this also could happend to Ma Long. But, there was not change situation that Ma Long is not in top two players in China. :) Best regards!

[@TableTenniswithAsh]

It is fair but it is bad for the sport overall. Sports need personalities and heroes. Sport is entertainment.

[@killing7549]

Since China won the top three men's singles at the 2008 Olympic Games, the ITTF has limited each association to two players in order to reduce the threat of Chinese players. Otherwise, Malone should be able to play singles, but Malone can still play on the team. China has a lot of unique players, but there are not enough places in the Olympics

[@TableTenniswithAsh]

@@killing7549 absolutely. It's not anyone's fault. Not the Chinese selectors. They just have to choose the two who they think have the best chance of winning (which they probably have done). I think when the rule was created by ITTF/IOC, they didn't necessarily have this situation in mind.

[@賴志偉-d7h]

NFL would have picked a faltering hero over a fledgling athlete. I think China's system is better and more fair.

[@dongiovanni8899]

then he should retire from China national team and join another country's or Hong Kong or Macao team who are happy to give him a slot😁

[@starking1187]

Thanks for the video, it sums up everything very well. Ma Long simply did not play well enough to accumulate enough points to qualify for singles. It's not like China hate him or worry about their gold being lost if they send him. He just didn't have enough points that's it. No biasedness. Fan Zhendong's form may be down recently but he still has much more points than Ma Long so he qualifies. End of story.

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

This is not true, the Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@SL-jo4om]

I agree completely. 1) Clear rules set ahead of time need to be respected. 2) Blind hero worship is neither fair nor sound. 3) I would add the more vague element of "generational fairness". Even if one argues that, at the moment, Ma and FZD are in comparable form, denying FZD a chance to claim the gold that Ma snatched from his hands in Tokyo would send a demoralizing message to Fan, whose Olympic window of opportunity is closing but who still has many more years to fight at the top.

[@somaticHuman]

Those who show results should be released. It should be a single rule

[@Swecho]

Make him play doubles. Hes been performing so good lately in double. So much creativity and high level strategy... Must be best doubles player right now

[@fynnweiler7660]

He is already selected for the Team. And they have a stronger mixed double With Wang/Sun

[@aidilharis95]

nah, the defending champion should be able to defend their title regardless though

[@jliang70]

I think making this decision on who to play the singles competition in Olympic is a bit too early. I think the decision shall be made at the end of WTT in Chongqing which is the last lead up event to the Olympic. Over the past year Fan demonstrated he is a great team player as he saved China from those tight matches against Korea when Ma long and Wang Chuqin lost their matches in the team championship but his form is currently in a slump. Let's not sugar coated he has not delivered the performance level to make him a better candidates than Ma Long as he failed to lift his form to later round of the last 3 major competitions this year. He lost to Lin Shidong, Calderano and Franziska. Ma Long may not be consistent but he was able to lift himself overcoming Felix Labrun, Wang Chuqin and Lin Gao yuan in World Cup and he also lost narrowly to Liang Jingkun in South Korea. So over the four leading events in TT Ma Long was a rp in one event and winning the World Cup. Fan Zhendong on the other hand fail to make past the semi in the last four events. I would have leave it for the last moment for that decision and if Fan Zhendong can't rediscover his form in Chongqing there is very little reason to choose him because of his poor form in since 2/2024.

[@Hrolfr911]

Even more incredible is the german federation. They choosed Timo Boll (who I respect and admire), but did not select Patrick Franziska !

[@orlandojam8]

leaving out the defending champion is not good at all 🎉

[@dongiovanni8899]

any countries want to offer him a slot?😁

[@BugattianVeyronian]

​@@dongiovanni8899 he can play as a refugee if he and China don't mind lol

[@dongiovanni8899]

@@BugattianVeyronian Palestine Olympic Committee😁

[@pupkin2006]

In the end we all know it was wrong and the clown got what he deserved...a hard lose to swedens young star. Never try to replace the goat! He cant be replaced and should 100% play his last tournament for the fans and for defending the Titel. There is no discussing!

[@Plamkata69]

The Chinese have to adopt the US olympic qualification system. There are national competitions for the olympic games for each sport. And you might be the world record holder, number 1 in the ranking but if you fail in the olympic qualifications and trials then you are out of the team.

[@synaqvi1]

Olympics committee should open up extra spots for defending champions in all individual sports

[@jimhuang9536]

Fang Jing dong should be out. He is going to lose anyway.

[@JimmyKim-fb1ji]

@@jimhuang9536true, he is just here for the silver medal in the Olympics he has no chance

[@makailee555]

Ma Long deserves the spot. Period. He was old since the last Olympics and Boom 💥 . . . Crickets in the silence of the Critics . . . Physically he may not be the same but his heart, mind and soul breathe and speak table tennis. The drop in form in Fan Zen Dong is alarming. If it were another player I might be less concerned. Wang Chu Qin's selection is rock solid. I am not disputing the selectors decisions. They are the paid professionals. The millions of Ma Long fans crave an opportunity to witness what the pundits say is impossible. We feel robbed of at least witnessing the attempt. Deeper still . . . robbed of that possible Triple glory.

[@gab5012]

I think the 2 player limit is suitable for Olympics as they want more players from different nations. However it is completely unfair to many top players who are unable to have a shot at their olympic dream simply because their country made a different decision. Ma Long is just one example, a defending champion who is not given the chance to defend it one more time because of the limit. Franziska and Timo are other examples, both are still good to take on the world but won't get the chance

[@somaticHuman]

Players must be selected according to their overall rating. This is an individual sport. And the problems of other countries that they do not have top players are their problems.

[@dongiovanni8899]

then he should retire from China national team and join another country's or Hong Kong or Macao team who are happy to give him a slot😁

[@beleaff]

Guys Fzd is not in a good form, he is a bit Weeker against European players, You saw that Fransizka won against him recently, Ma Long or Even Gaoyuan are better solution but dosen’t matter, China will win anyway with Wang Chuqin which is crazy good right now

[@ciciwalkwalk3507]

Ma Long is also beaten by Fransizka in March. What’s the difference?

[@MrManekineko22]

Agree. China could have used a less fair system, promoting Ma Long in order to try getting a third Olympics title in a raw. That would have guaranteed China in safe place in the books of records for a while. That would have been like betting though. The point system they used in the end, is clearly the one maximizing their overall expected winning rate. The fact they communicated it ahead of selection is fair in the end. In France we don't have this chance. I want to add that personnaly I would have loved to see Ma Long in Paris this summer. Hopefully we'll see him in Montpellier's WTT later this year.

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

This is not true, the Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@GuoJing2017]

11:00 - that semi finals Olympics match against Dima was incredible, I've never seen Ovtcharov play so well before and he still lost. Counting losses, it makes sense, but I don't think you should be discrediting them for close wins because that shows they did pull through on 關鍵球

[@ramabhir]

I agree with the Chinese selection criteria which values overall consistency. As a fan however it would be sad to not see him compete in the Olympics ..but the goat has given us a lot of moments to cherish 😊

[@leroysmith3615]

Agreed! Ma Long is the GOAT of Table Tennis, but Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong are currently more stable. I too am saddened to have to watch an Olympic without Ma Long, but fair is fair.

[@SunnnnyKhan]

Ma long ahould be exempted now for any selection. I mean what else he has to prove that he can perform anywhere against anyone any time. Of ourse i may be a biased fan of ma long but this bias has come out merely out of ma longs top class performance over the years.❤😂

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

The Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@MrFreezebook21]

Why didn't you mention Fan haven't won any title for almost a year, and he not only lost to his teammates but also started to lost some foreign opponents whom he seldom lost to like Hugo, Lee sung su, Francisca. The fact mistook you to think he had better records to the non Chinese players than Ma Long is that he was crashed out by his teammates more often than being defeated by foreign opponents. Let's wait and see WTT Champions Chongqing what performance Fan will bring to us

[@Alexander3487]

Pressure brings out the best of professionals and Ma Long knowing it was his last Olympic Games he would have fought with all his power to be in the final and win, I doubt he would have lost against Moregardh, Ma Long has more experience and quite often experience is more valuable than just recent results. It was obvious that Wang Chuquin lost concentration and at some point, he just couldn't deal with the pressure. Had Ma Long played in singles I think he and FZD would have been in the final.

[@olfiru2336]

I think FZD and ML couldn't care less about WTT anymore. They've been in the CNT for 10 and 16 years respectively and are probably tired of training insane amounts getting put under so much pressure for events that are insignificant to them. WCQ is pretty young and ambitious to start winning as WR 1. When we saw FZD at world team champs this year, in that form him and WCQ are neck and neck. I still think that WCQ will win, but ML is just too risky to bring as he didn't play amazing in recent international events(past year and a half), other than his one win in the World Cup. This is a good decision from the CNT and a lot less contreversial than other decisions they've made in the past(XX not participating in singles Rio 2016)

[@robin0910]

Uhm mister, Fan Zhendong lost to foreigners just as many times if not more than Ma. You are seriously saying that Ma Long doesn’t have a chance to win the Olympics? What makes you think that Fan has more considering his recent poor performance? Wang Chuqin surely needed to be elected based on his performance but currently Fan is the most inconsistent out of the 3. China doesn’t care who wins the Olympics as long as it’s Chinese, they both need to be in the finals. Ma Long is more consistent against foreigners. They announced the selection results after his loss but he surely knew it beforehand. Why else would he lose to JwJ whom he beat several times consistently before? He also knew he didn’t have a chance according to the ranking as you mentioned, whereas Fan was just elected but lost to Franziska even though he had 2 match points, how does that make sense? It’s true that what matters most is the ranking, so it’s fair that he wasn’t elected but out of the 3 he is definitely not the most inconsistent against foreigners. Just look at what a backlash FZD got for going to the Taylor swift concert and losing to LSD.

[@pansarbobo7477]

Fan Zhendong's "inconsistency" only started this year in 2024. His form has definitely dropped a lot this year but last year he was still going all over the world claiming titles. Even WCQ cannot consistently beat him then. Yes he lost to Franziska but that's not an indication that he's unstable to foreigners. Before that lost he lead in terms of head to head against Franziska with is 7 wins 1 loss. He's not unstable against foreigners, he just has bad form recently.

[@Independent_Man3]

@@pansarbobo7477 Actually, Fan Zhendong's inconsistency started in the second half of 2023. He lost to Lin Gaoyuan (WTT Zagreb), Alexis Lebrun (WTT Macao), Wang Chuqin (Asian Games), Ma Long (Asian Championship), Tomokazu Harimoto (ITTF mixed team World Cup) and Lee Sang Su (WTT Frankfurt) in that period. In the first half of 2024, he lost to Lin Shidong (twice), Wang Chuqin, Hugo Calderano, Lin Gaoyuan and Patrick Franzesca.

[@meemoozee]

Ma definitely has a chance to win olympics, but it is already explained that player's consistency has been taken account for in the selection process. It is fair as it reflects the hardwork and results that Fan put in to get all these points, and not lose as many points. Ma is a fan favourite, but if he was selected based on the that alone, it would make all these competition pointless for other players as Ma is protected by plot armour.

[@pansarbobo7477]

@@Independent_Man3 I apologize for not getting the exact time period where Fan Zhendong started to drop. But still, I believe we can all agree that despite his drop, he is still more stable than Ma Long. At least Fan Zhendong won a lot of titles in 2023, including WTTC that made him nominated the best player of 2023 during the WTTTC earlier this year. Ma Long? He only won 1 title in 2023 which is the ATTC. Then another world cup this year. Other than that, he has nothing else to show.

[@MrFreezebook21]

​@@pansarbobo7477Actually Fan's ranking will drop to 4 this week while Ma Long's 2, which means Ma has more consistent than Fan recently. Fan made no effort to improve his out of date skills compared with Ma Long and Chen Meng, so that's why Ma and Chen still can win the gold medal in 2024. Since he failed to gain any score, sooner or later his ranking will be out of top 10.

[@dongiovanni8899]

Is it possible for ML to join Hong Kong or Macao team?

[@andhimedan]

I think only choose Wang Chu Qin and Ma Long as Couple in Single Man has going to Make China's Team Win Gold Medal Again, no need to bring Fan Zhen Dong. Because China has totally giant dominated in Men, Women Singles for Long Years. I suggest Ma Long move to other Country eg. Singapore hence He will win 3 Gold Medals olympic LOL 🤣

[@pekjinoei1042]

I agree with you... No matter who he/she is, one day it will come to an end... And next generation will rise...

[@sunaksuka5106]

China's dominance is killing the sport. If it continues very soon they will just play among themselves (in Malaysia we call syiok sendiri) while fans look elsewhere for more exciting sports which their countries can win.

[@Kat-zj5kd]

I'm looking forward to paris olympics - particularly match between wang and fan - (is it country wise or both can reach final)..

[@yangyang1412]

my dream team for Paris Olympics Singles: Ma long, Lin Gaouyaun , Wang YiDI and Cheng meng

[@Kat-zj5kd]

u r lving in the past

[@megamasterblogs]

Very interesting also to see your thoughts on the German team, and other great teams like Sweden or Korea

[@arthurmoreiraschroeder4767]

Great video bud, very good points you showed up, faz is in an very poor form but so is ma long, for me either of em could be chosen, but choosing fz seems more logical as you said, keep the great work!

[@vinnnywong52]

Your explanations is so clear and precise. Yes i would choose Wang and Fan for the Olympics. Wang is fav to win

[@djsantosa4757]

Fzd keep losing since Singapore Smash, Ma Long is World Cup winner...Fzd in mental and confidence breakdown.Ma Long is master tactic and comeback. So they should choose Ma Long

[@ciciwalkwalk3507]

Olympics players selected for the overall performance of the 4 years. Fan Zhendong won 2 world championship titles, which are the most important single titles below Olympics. What’s more important, he saved CTTA’s life in 2024 world team finals. That’s why he must be one of the candidates. Don’t be radiculous

[@ciciwalkwalk3507]

Up主既然懂中文我就直接拿中文说，樊振东手握巴黎周期最重要的两个世乒赛冠军，并且在2024年2月最重要的世界团体锦标赛，在王楚钦、马龙相继输球把中国队在半决赛逼到绝境的时候，樊振东用自己的两场胜利保住了中国队的金牌，这个功劳只有24年前的刘国正可以媲美。仅凭这些，他就是巴黎奥运单打的不二人选。何况就算国乒那套垃圾的积分规则，樊振东一样能入选。至于樊振东为什么这一年表现不好，去看看中国队在WTT给他做的签，中国队为了王楚钦能夺冠，樊振东这几年被伤病、被架空一切训练资源、康复资源，并且半个中国的媒体被刘国梁控制，这一年来不断中伤樊振东的声誉，樊振东所面临的，是中国体制内一场巨大的政治陷害，中国的司法、传媒、行政联手陷害一个运动员的身体名誉，不惜牺牲国家利益、国家形象，这背后究竟除了钱，还有什么不可告人的秘密，才是最可怕的。中国国乒的腐败和丑闻在国内闹的很凶，现在全靠舆论封锁粉饰太平。马龙一样是既得利益者，只是不像王楚钦那么离谱的既得利益者，他世界杯能夺冠，背景是之前梁靖崑在之前的比赛的表现，在国内舆论面前，已经出现了大量让马龙让位的声音，国乒慌忙在世界杯做签，保送马龙进四强。谁知道他在半决赛不装了，虐杀了中国队计划中的冠军王楚钦。谁有兴趣可以去挖中国国乒，背后的盘根错节绝对是劲爆大新闻。

[@holden6104]

Just started getting into this sport. This was a great explanation, thank you.

[@theMuritz]

I kindly disagree on the assessment that Harimoto and Lin Yun Yu are better than Moregardh. Other than that, you’re right. We sent Boll instead of Patrick Franziska …

[@timothychinye6008]

TL;DR is they point of Sport entertainment? or... Pushing the human limit? China says it's the latter, and I'm with them.

[@chetanchikhalkar9630]

They should have selected Ma Long for the singles over Fan zendong. As Wang chuqin deserves to play in the Olympic,Fan zendong is not consistent in terms his form and performance.He recently lost to Patrick franzeska even when he was 2-0 leading. Ma long is a great reader of the game and quickly learns from his mistakes.We have seen it frequently how he dominates the rest of the game once he is one set down. It is so unfair for the player of his calibre and experience.

[@pansarbobo7477]

Somebody did not watch the video before commenting. It's already explained very clearly that the selection criteria was set and Ma Long indeed didn't accumulate enough points to qualify. WCQ in first place with 22000+ points, FZD 17000+ points and Ma Long in third place with only 14,000+ points. Arguing on subjective matters like who is the more stable players is completely unnecessary as everything is decided by the accumulated points. I can too argue that Ma Long is not stable either as he also lost to foreigners (e.g. Lee Sangsu, Lin Yunju, Patrick, Jang Woojin). FZD lost to Patrick yes but he has a 7 wins 2 losses dominant head to head record against him and Ma Long is 2 wins 2 losses against Patrick. What made is worst that the 2 losses he made against Patrick was recent times and it was twice in a row. I don't see the adaptability that Ma Long has brought to the game like many other's said. But again, at the end of the day, everything is according to the rankings. Ma Long failed to earn the slot and thus he shouldn't go. Even if FZD lost in the Olympics it cannot be helped as he earned the slot fair and square with more points.

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@micheldroguett]

I disagree with your opinion. Ma Long isn't just about the numbers. Watching him play live is an incredible experience. He is not only technically superb but also more creative than other Chinese players, making his matches truly exciting to watch. Perhaps the Olympic committee could invite him to play.

[@jamaderruslin0503]

Unfair..because malong is the defending back 2 back champion in table tennis Olympic..consideration must be needed..only malong has a record of this.. #justsaying the truth..🏓🏓✌️

[@krishnasukhoo4286]

fair justification

[@dynasty6668]

People are OK with Fan Zhendong not being able to become a grandslam champion by saying he shouldn't play Olympic singles but NOT OK with nerfed version Ma Long not able to win gold again even though he already won twice. Typical fan mentality.

[@velyth9979]

WCQ, makes perfect sense. No ML, I hear your point. But then replace him with at least Lin Shidong, FZD will sht himself 100%...

[@chavdardimitrov3414]

Very good point of you man, well done.

[@BugattianVeyronian]

Well, I'm not sure why I was recommended this video maybe because I love sports. My view is that, losing to foreigners shouldn't cause you to lose more points. The system is simply faulty. Also, I'm a sprinter. In athletics or maybe more specifically in sprinting, the big names often focus on Olympics and World Championship. Bolt is a classic example in the past. He often performed averagely in smaller competitions but won in important events. It's also the same with Andre De Grasse. He doesn't even compete in smaller events. He went missing in between big events all the time. Therefore, each athlette should be evaluated based on their abilities in winning certain events. Back to sprinting, if we know Asafa Powell always choked in big events either because he couldn't handle rounds or pressure or both, he should be dropped if needed to. Sprinters who win in bigger eveents should be given the opportunities despite their average performances throughout the seasons.

[@pansarbobo7477]

From your comment I reckon you are not a table tennis fan so let me walk you through the reason. China has been the most dominant nation in the sport of table tennis for nearly three decades. They have not lost the men's singles olympic gold since 2004, hasn't lost the World Championship title since 2003 and hasn't lost in the World Team Table Tennis Championships for 3 decades. Basically any foreigners faces a chinese, he is very likely to lose badly. Maybe that's why China has their ego to not want to lose to foreigners? This is an exclusive Chinese table tennis condition not a general sport thing so yeah. The system created by the Chinese team to select player included your big wins and losses to foreigners. You would gain massive point boost if you win titles and an even bigger boost if you win major events. If you lose to a foreigner your points get deducted. I believe this is fair. The two selected won a lot of grand tournaments and lost to relatively fewer foreigners. While on the other hand, Ma Long who is heavily loved by the entire table tennis community failed to win as many titles and lost to quite a lot of foreigners so I think that's reason for him to not get selected. I get what you mean about some players although performing bad on small events, can be incredibly good in major events, but if we were to base the selection on that, then it's a very subjective pick with no objective way of measuring who is truly the best player at the moment. It also makes it extremely unfair for others who didn't get selected just because they don't have big titles. Not to mention the Chinese announced this selection criteria one year prior to the olympics and told the players how they can be selected so the player fought accordingly. If China were to change their own system last minute to suit their benefit then it would created a massive internal protest.

[@BugattianVeyronian]

Yes, I'm not. Thanks for typing out such a helpful comment. Yes, I think both of us would agree that the system is faulty. Like you rightly put it, it's all about ego.

[@pansarbobo7477]

@@BugattianVeyronian For me, the faulty part of the system is that they introduced the points reduction very late. It was only announced few months back not when this system was first announced a year ago. They added this new criteria in seeing how some of their women players start losing a lot to foreigners. And this rule is exclusive for only the women's team not the men's opening up the debate of inequality of both sides. Being a table tennis fan that supports the Chinese team, I totally understand how losing to foreigners is unacceptable for them and I wouldn't blame them for introducing such rule into the system but I certainly found it a bit unfair that you implemented it only when you found something to be not right and then again, not implemented for both male and female team.

[@lebesguegilmar1]

And about Calderano ranking? He is not consistent about 2 years ?

[@pongbotstore]

A legend left out, but the future looks bright with Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong leading the way. Mixed feelings about this decision!

[@DavidBenMoshe-ni1gl]

Ma Long is 35, ancient in Table Tennis and is just shell of what he once was.

[@3dprintworld503]

He may be a shell, but he's still very hard to crack. Hopefully he at least participates in the Teams event because he makes an excellent pair with WCQ

[@radya1978]

So what now about the opinion it was fair enough to omit Ma Long from 2024 Olympics singles? True champs may not be good in ranking when it doesn´t matter. They are good when it matters the most. Hopefully he will help save teams gold for China in case Fan Zhendong will not be able to do it in singles.

[@bernardlanguillier65]

I believe that Ma Long and Wang Chuqin would have been a better selection to increase the odds of China men winning a single gold medal. I don't believe that Fan can win at this stage. I am not discussing the method chosen by China to select their representatives, just my view of the current level of their players. What Ma Long has recently demonstrated during the World Cup is simply unheard of. His ability to adapt his game style to his opponents in the last 3 games was simply amazing. Fan is not even close to being able to do that, even if he is probably a bit stronger physically.

[@eugenetrading6367]

Well the players were given an exactly 1 year period to collect points. Fan Zhendong did very well in the first half of the period but it's unfortunate that's he suddenly fell into a rut in the second half. Nothing can be done right now apart from helping Fan Zhendong get out of his current state so he doesn't screw it up for China in Paris.

[@Rosy-di9cw]

How about the female Paris Olympic selection?

[@hjaved]

The Chinese ranking system is also inconsistent, as it should also consider the form of player in recent times..... Ma long was playing better than fan zhendong in previous few months

[@MH-lr9en]

I guess they wished the have chosen ML now after Wang Chuqins early exit...

[@danielejims5979]

Damn I had the same views as himself before seeing this video, even though I was disappointed. He's just very harsh but he speaks facts 😢

[@XL-xg7ln]

What if Ma swift to Korea or Japan?

[@Dan50900]

If fan zhendong coached by his former coach rather than wang hao, i think his mental strength will improve better and increased chances of winning Olympics. Else he also will end up like wang hao.

[@สรวิชญ์หิรัณยานุรักษ์]

You should give him the opportunity to defending olympic gold medals. In badminton someone lose that not mean ma long will lose too.

[@jacksonlok9675]

He should earn it, not have China give him a free slot just because he's the defending champion. Everyone fight hard for the slot what makes you think ML should get the slot when he doesn't have enough points? The badminton example shows you how age can destroy an athlete. It certainly does not mean ML would not win just because someone in badminton did not but at the same time ML is not guaranteed to win too.

[@dongiovanni8899]

then he should retire from China national team and join another country's team who are happy to give him a slot😁

[@megamasterblogs]

Basically China is not doing to Fan with Ma Long what Germany did to Patrick with Timo

[@garyfagan6431]

Thanks for explanation. Could you do the same for Chinese women's team?

[@goldentabletennis3910]

Chinese Women has not been officially announced yet but it's very likely going to be Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng. First of all, Chen Meng was already ranked 2nd before the Saudi Smash and I believe the Saudi Smash will determined who selects the 2nd women's slot. Chen Meng became the champion of Saudi Smash and Wang Manyu lost early. What made it worst is she lost to a foreigner resulting in a 3000 points deduction. So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Chen Meng got the slot instead of Wang Manyu.

[@garyfagan6431]

Thank you.

[@anryutenha79]

not fair because a champion should have the chance to defend his title, also the chinese ranking ok...and what happens if all countries do the same...minus 3k points is...well too big, its like if you lose against a non chinese, even a top player in good shape, mood or on fire, well you are dismissed...the champion should always be given the chance to defend his title, simple as that, also we are not talking about a unknown player....its unfair as he is still competitive, depending of his motivation aslo..

[@jacksonlok9675]

Why should he get a free slot??? Other people fought hard too. If ML really want to defend his title he should've fought for his right to do so not beg from CTTA to give it to him. He is still competitive but he is not the top two most competitive. Don't talk about other countries implementing the points deduction because losing to foreigners is a Chinese thing not applicable to other countries. Besides, other countries are not dominant enough to have such tradition.

[@anryutenha79]

@@jacksonlok9675 maybe but he s still way more reliable than zendhong in m mind but its settled, just a waste for him

[@dongiovanni8899]

then he should retire from China national team and join another country's or Hong Kong or Macao team who are happy to give him a slot😁

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@yujirorasy]

The good thing about this is FZD finally win his Olympic gold.

[@43DAEMON]

If Trulls win tomorrow then Chinese coaches will have hard time 😅

[@LucI10-p2w]

11:20 I think at this point, you are going too far. You have to see it like this. When you look at this time, players like Ovtcharov were not new, but not long there. And he never played them at this time. Yes, I think that you are right, but he still is winning against non chinese players and chinese players. Not like his teammates. They have a higher losing percentage against non chinese. And tbh, i don‘t think you can compare it with badminton. Also, Ma Long is still improving. He is adapting to the „new Table tennis“. His backhand is getting much better. I think his movement is not as bad as Timo Boll, and timo boll is still moving very good. And I would say when you are going with Ma Long and Wang Chuqin for singles, you still have a higher chance to win gold, as when you go with Wang and Fan. Wang also almost lost in the Singapore Smash against Patrick. And Patrick is in his best form of all time. So too compare it, the 24 years old Ma would have easily won against Patrick; the 24 year old Wang has lost 2 games which is not good for a chinese player when he is playing against a german player; And tbh, Fan couldn’t have stand a chance against Patrick. So I think it is unfair for Ma Long

[@pansarbobo7477]

I think this opinion of yours is a little bit biased towards Ma Long. Firstly, it's terribly inaccurate to say Ma Long is still winning against non-Chinese and chinese players. Yes he still win those matches but not as much as before since he has lost a lot in recent times. He lost to a total of 5 foreigners (Patrick twice, Lee Sangsu, Lin Yunju, Jang Woojin) during this olympic cycle & three of them were this year alone. He also started losing to Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan in 2024 when he was initially never lost to them on the international stage. Yes Fan Zhendong himself is pretty bad against foreigners recently but that is due to declined form not age related. Ma Long's decline is definitely age related and it's inevitable. And you cannot say Fan Zhendong or Wang Chuqin is horrible against German players because Fan Zhendong has beaten Patrick 7 time out of 9 encounters and those wins were usually very dominant like 3-0 or 4-1. Yes he lost this time but it's due to his decline form recently not because he doesn't know how to play Patrick. Plus, this lost is Fan Zhendong's first lost to Patrick ever since Australia Open 2019. He lost to Ovtcharov a few times but he hasn't lost to Timo at all. And if you agree that Patrick Franziska is in his best form of all time which made him reach the final of a Smash tournament, I am not sure it's entirely accurate for you to say Wang Chuqin is bad against Patrick just because he lost two games against him. If you actually go and watch the match, Wang was pretty dominant against Patrick in the first three games. The fourth game was also leading 7-5 but maybe it's due to an emotional switch (e.g. don't want to lose on his birthday, eagerly wants to claim the triple crown champion etc), he dropped 2 in a row. Oh and by the way, it's Saudi Smash not Singapore Smash and Wang Chuqin won both. It's completely unnecessary to compare 24 year old Wang Chuqin with 24 year old Ma Long because it would not be the 24 year old version of Ma Long playing in the olympics, it would be a 35 year old one. I would argue his chances of losing is equally as high if not more to Patrick if they were to meet compared to Wang or Fan. But again, all these are subjective matters because Ma Long lost fair and square in selections. He didn't get as many points as Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong. He is only ranked third on the race and he can blame no one but himself.

[@sparkxz154]

well we know now that they shoulda sent Ma Long, the GOAT would NEVER lose in the round of 32

[@GhanaTableTennis]

Fair analysis

[@Kat-zj5kd]

Without a doubt china will send its best 2 players to the olympics - fan zhendong and wang chuqin. Ma Long was the best for close to a decade but now he is downhill, several matches with wang he loses something like 3 -1 4 -1. However fan vs wang the battle is ever so close. (Ma long has to defend his title - i don't know what that means he is not the best 2 from china - and i dont think chinese particularly care about this sort of personal ambitions over state good kind of a thing .. just kidding)

[@kutshar]

I am ta true fan of the sport, but i think ma long should deserve a spot, not because he is the GOAT but because he is in a good form currently than fan zendong

[@aolemjackpongen8157]

Truly said very fact iam a big fan of Ma long but i agree to this one....fair enough

[@LeonardoRozasVillegas]

It's the correct decision for CNT.

[@KRUIofficial]

Great video! Very nicely summed up. I think we have to get realistic with the choices. But actually, Ma Long has won a wtt title before. Wtt Macao 2020!

[@AdamAdam-vv1re]

Chinese controlled the results by not sending Ma Long to tournaments where FZD or WQ played, because they were afraid for their points. There were many tournaments where Ma Long was not registered.

[@kenji2787]

You seriously ignored the fact that FZD struggles to get in top 8 in the last 5 or so events? I’d say he struggles to get into top 16 too…

[@light8514]

now what do you say

[@kenji2787]

Er, nothing? If FZD had been eliminated on the first round, I wouldn’t go up here and say “see? I know I’m right” like a retarded either

[@ciciwalkwalk3507]

Fan Zhendong won two most important world titles and saved CTTA’s life in 2024 world team championships. That’s all the most important competitions before Olympics, and that’s all Chinese teams should care about. And remember, in world team championships, Ma long lost., and Ma Long lost not fewer than Fan. And about why he could not win a title in almost a year, ask how CTTA cheat on draws in 2024, doing everything they could to let Fan Zhendong out as early as possible in order to use their radiculous rules to allow Ma Long in. But in the end, Ma Long was never out after Fan Zhendong except world cups, that’s why Ma Long can not use the only cheat in.

[@schivver]

Definitely unfair...on the fact that each country can only send 2 people.

[@sabryhafez6334]

من وجهه نظرى عدم دخول مالونج خطأ كبير للرياضه فى الرياضات الاخرى من يحصل على بطوله العالم مثلا يدخل البطوله بدون تصفيات كما فى كره القدم فكيف يكون بطل اوليمبى وبطل العالم ثم يتم استبعاده كان الافضل مشاركته . فى حين انه افضل من كثيرين شاركوا بالاوليمبياد من دول العالم صراحه شبه مهزله

[@neo8955]

Great video 👍👍👍

[@stevesworks1391]

100 % not fair for Ma Long and it’s the country’s lost not having him playing for the country. Sweden player beat China number 1 player today so what does that mean without Ma Long it’s also the record and experience being able to adapt to pressure that’s important.

[@sega-re-trop-vieux]

Fair, I mean he has won it twice and despite being still one of the best players in the world right now , he is not the first choice for China . Like Federer, you have to give your seat to someone else.

[@LTQvalen]

it should be wang chuqin and liang jingkun or wang chuqin and ma long, fan zhendong is finished

[@phoenixkepo2743]

Ma Long is the GOAT!

[@markterrin8673]

I think he should go as a previous winner...

[@TsongaJose]

I just dont understand how can they not have at least 3 spots for each country since there are 3 very desirable medals in each olympic competition. Doesnt make any sense to have less than 3 spots.

[@zottffss]

They didn’t want a medal sweep in 2008 with Ma Lin, Wang Hao, and Wang Liqin.

[@Amit-s2r]

No not fair, he is still the best in the world, not good for sports

[@muhdfaizazhari1743]

Just take the example of Badminton rankings they take 2 players/athletic for top 16 they will go through

[@pansarbobo7477]

As you type this, just came out a news today that Line Kjærsfeldt, badminton female player of Denmark will not be selected even though she is the highest ranked female danish player on the olympic ranks but another danish player lower ranked than her will go instead. It's nothing to do with the sport itself but the association of the respective country. Table tennis had their own rankings where Ma Long and is ranked 2nd and Fan Zhendong is ranked 4th. If you follow that ranking Ma Long should go but China wants to follow their own rankings which had Wang Chuqin in first place, second is Fan and only then Ma Long in third. So it's not just a table tennis problem other sport have too.

[@meklon5]

I vote for quick Austrian passport for Ma Long to participate - for Austria - at Paris Olympic Games. So he can defend his title. The best solution in this situation! :D :D :D

[@Nothing-db1zy]

I came from the future to tell you... Guess who is the Olympics champion?! 😂😂😂😊

[@tatogaprindashvili9140]

By the way, almost doesn’t count

[@hjaved]

The only reason.... That Ma long should play in olympics is because he has been recognised as THE GREATEST...... Not Fan Zhendong

[@wcdirect9217]

Narrative is too harsh .

[@ciciwalkwalk3507]

I don’t understand why Ma Long’s fans don’t hate Wang Chuqin but hate Fan Zhendong so much. Fan Zhendong should selected by China from ever aspect except polical corruption.

[@MindaKreatifChannel]

He became old now...with his offensive style he need more energy and struggle to again younger player.....

[@DoDo-ww1oi]

Chinese team wants give opportunities to young generation

[@keekengho-jq1qe]

why is it even your problem...

[@rafaelodossantos4210]

Unfair and chuquin played like a shit

[@jytan740]

age is catching up with him

[@Yur-Gen]

Согласен с автором. Ван Чуцин и Фан Джендонг имеют больше прав выступать в личных соревнованиях на Олимпийских играх 2024 и у них больше шансов одержать там победу. Ма Лонг, в последнее время, к сожалению, стабильной игры не показывает, высоких результатов добивается редко.

[@asdasblr]

Всего лишь выйграл кубок мира

[@somaticHuman]

А другого выбора нет. Кого из них не ставь это будет не очень по отношению к третьему и еще тому парню в разного цвета кросовках, который всегда рубится до последнего. )) Просто в Китае больше топовых игроков чем 2 ))))) По хорошему на личные соревнования надо брать топ 30 с рейтинга и не выдумывать. Если там будет 5 Китайцев - это проблема других стран. А то какой нибудь Ваня Пупкин поедет понимаешь, а Малонг, или тот же Линь нет))) Ну херня же

[@asdasblr]

@@somaticHuman верно

[@iversonbahiwag1295]

Ma long out Lin Shidong in!

[@brian95331]

soory to say but ....its too late now but ma long should be able to play

[@dongiovanni8899]

any countries are interested to offer him a slot?