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| Source: CTTA |
Time to Step Aside
Liu Guoliang remains as the head coach of the national team but step down as the chief coach of the men's team. The decision is made considering the aggregate strategy and his personal life plan. He explained that one needs to try out new things and challenge himself at different stage. In his new stage, he proposed the idea of "Sharing Chinese Table Tennis to the World". Chinese table tennis is one of the most accomplished sport in China, the qualities and culture of Chinese table tennis should be promoted to the world.
Producing Icons of the Sport
The dominance of Chinese table tennis is the results of contributions from generations of Chinese but people gradually grow bored of greatness. Liu Guoliang thinks achieving good results is still essential to the sport but he believes developing players' personality is equally important. No one would like to see 'perfect robots' winning competitions, players with charming personalities and those with both strengths and weaknesses are more preferred and approachable. After 2008 Beijing Olympics, Liu Guoliang suggested Chinese table tennis needs to produce their own superstars to gain popularity and promote the sport. The result is striking. After 2 Olympic cycles, Zhang Jike, Ma Long, Ding Ning and many other Chinese players have become the icon of the sport.
Engaging the Public and the World
In the post-2012 London Olympics, Cai Zhenhua, the Deputy Director of the State General Administration of Sports, developed the idea of "the Third Stage of Development". (The third stage of development roughly means promoting the sport to the country and to the world, developing the sport industry by making reforms and improving athletes' qualities. The first two stage of development mainly focus on improving the results/achievements of Chinese table tennis.) He wish to enhance the impact of table tennis and help foster people's, especially young kids', love of table tennis. To walk the talk, the Chinese national team has been promoting table tennis in schools and troops. Chinese table tennis has also moved beyond China by training hundreds of foreign coaches and athletes and pairing up cross-nation doubles in international meets. The team also follows the footsteps of social media and share positive, amusing stories on these platform.
Continue the Legacy
For the coming 4 years, the team will work on winning Olympic gold medals, gaining respects from the public and promoting the sport. To do so, the team needs to pay attention to 4 aspects. In terms of the sport, the team needs improvements in its training methods so that it can extend its dominance. Whereas for team building, the team will reform its management, improves the qualities of the team and reconstruct the team's image. The team will also develop high-brand competitions and promote star players. Lastly, the team will promote continue table tennis and push the development of the sport.
Not Just about the Big Guns
There are many people playing table tennis in China but few watches live games. Liu Guoliang believes high quality and competitive matches cam make an impact on society and generate economic profits, which help sustain and promote the sport. On the other hand, the success of Chinese table tennis cannot do without the support of the public. Therefore, while promoting the sport, the team must think in the shoes of the public and fans and develop closer relationships between the professionals and the amateurs so that the team is more approachable. Success is one thing but all the life lessons people are able to learn from table tennis and all the important values and traits that help the youth to become a better person are also the charisma of Chinese table tennis. So building that in society is a great goal for the Chinese national team.
Sharing Chinese Table Tennis to the World
There are not many interactions between the strong teams. Some top players wish to train with Chinese players but the demand has not fulfilled. The Chinese team will need a broader vision and sometimes scarifies their results in international meets in order to make it work. Since the Chinese is advanced in their playing style and experienced in competitions, the team sees developing the sport and Chinese culture worldwide their duty.
In the coming years, the team will think of holding innovative promotional activities, such as inviting officials and enterprises to attend the activities, staying behind after World Tours to train with local clubs and exchange ideas on coaching and techniques and do more exhibitions with local crowds.
Lastly, Liu Guoliang acknowledged the contribution and effort of the retired senior coaches. He plans to organize these experienced coaches to give lectures both nationwide and internationally and contribute to the sport.
Liu has been in the Chinese national team for 28 years and experienced 6 Olympics. He is grateful for the reward and honor that table tennis has brought to his life. The Chinese team winning every medal in the past 3 Olympics is without a doubt a huge success but winning medals does not show the contribution the sport has made to the country. Liu thinks this is the time to commercialize Chinese table tennis. It may be tough and challenging but he is not afraid of making mistakes because he looks beyond win and lose and wish to contribute his passion and courage, so that Chinese table tennis can win respect from the world and promote Chinese culture through table tennis.
My Personal Thoughts
Great to see Liu Guoliang having a vision of promoting the sport at different levels to all parts of the world. He has been successful as a player and legendary as a coach. I hope he will be remarkable as a the promoter of table tennis. I remember growing up watching Liu Guoliang organizing various of promotional activities, including Shakehand Vs Penhold, Chopper Vs Attacker, Men Vs Women and all kinds of exhibition tricks anything you can think of. I have learnt more about the sport and grown interest in table tennis since then. What's next? Comment down below and share your thoughts on the head coach, Liu Guoliang. Follow the blog for more updates.
Source: 乒乓世界 Table Tennis World
He can be my coach!
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