When World Championships and Olympics captures 99% of the attention of the table tennis world but in reality they amount to less than 1% of what's going on at the Chinese National Games. Chinese National Games is known as the Chinese version of Olympics that held once every 4 years. At the Games, we will be able to see not only the top Chinese athletes but also the upcoming rising stars and other great players who do not have the chance to play internationally. It's a huge loss to miss out such a spectacular competition. So that's why we are here now. In the 13th CNG series, we are coming at you with an in-depth introduction of the Chinese National Games, throwbacks of the past classics and must-know details about who to follow and why of each event in table tennis.
Today, we will share a quick introduction of what's Chinese National Games and new features of this year's Games, just to ease you into the Games that you should follow!
What is Chinese National Games?
The Chinese National Games is a national multi-sport event held every 4 years in China since 1959 (cancelled in 1965-1975) involving Chinese athletes competing for their provincial team in different sport events. Like the Olympic Games, the Chinese National Games has opening and closing ceremony, medal table, mascot, theme song etc. elements that the Olympics has, therefore it is also know as the Chinese version of Olympics. Since the best Chinese athletes are taking part the Games, it is a stage where the established athletes and future stars shine.
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| Opening Ceremony of the 1st Chinese National Games in 1959 Photo: CCTV |
Dated back in 1959 when the first Chinese National Games was held, there were 36 events, including table tennis, and 6 exhibition events in the Chinese National Games. Some of the events are quite interesting like the wireless telegraphy competition and aeronautics modelling competition.
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| A poster of the 2nd Chinese National Games Photo: CCTV |
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| A poster of the 2nd Chinese National Games "Strive for the top in international sports with the revolutionary spirit! Dare to win, excel in struggles!" Photo:尽知天下事 |
Unlike the Olympics, which is politics-free, the theme of the Chinese National Games in the early days often reflects the political paradigm of China. For example at the 2nd Games held in 1965 the main theme of the Games was to raise the red flag of socialism and carry out the reform thoroughly. Politics is not that significant in the Games nowadays but the results of the Games is said to be related to the promotion of the related sport officials and Chinese National Games champions can receive massive prize money. Therefore many athletes said playing in the Games is a form to express their gratitude to the effort and resources that the provincial team has put on them, more importantly it is the interest behind the victories.
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Opening Ceremony of the 3rd Chinese National Games in 1975
Photo: CCTV
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The 6th Games held in 1987 Guangdong is the fist National Games that had a mascot, the Little Goat. Isn't it lovely?
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| Wang Nan at her first Chinese National Games in 1993. She ended up 8th in women's singles. Photo: http://www.tianjin2017.gov.cn/ |
The Games is held after the Olympic year since 1993 which allows Chinese athletes to have more time to prepare for the Olympics.
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Opening Ceremony of the 8th Chinese National Games in 1997
Photo: CCTV
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Team Hong Kong joined the 8th Games for the first time after the handover in 1997 and had a decent result with cyclist Wong Kam-po winning a gold medal for Hong Kong.
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| The Official Logo for the 2001 9th Chinese National Games |
In 2001, China won the bid for 2008 Beijing Olympics. When many Chinese celebrated that, the Chinese National Games had become one of hot hits of the year. Interesting to know, in that year table tennis competitions had switched from 21-point system to 11-point system but due to the qualifications held in early 2001 was played under the 21-point system, the organizing committee decided to keep the competition format coherent so matches in the main draw are the last 21-point system competition played in China.
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Opening Ceremony of the 10th Chinese National Games in 2005
Photo: CCTV
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Opening Ceremony of the 11th Chinese National Games in 2009
Photo: CCTV
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| Poster of the 12th Chinese National Games in 2013 Photo: Photo:尽知天下事 |
Who were the Chinese National Games Medalists (table tennis)?
We have walked you through the brief history of the Chinese National Games. Let's get back to the table tennis event. The following list shows the Chinese National Games medalists of each games and each event.
Some made the Olympics, others did not. Nonetheless clinching a title among the best of China, often the top 3 of the world as well, should deserve to be highlighted and remembered.
What's new in the 13th Chinese National Games?
There are 2 new features in this year's Games.
1. Encourage public engagement by introducing the amateur level
This is the first time that the general public can compete in the Chinese National Games as the organizing committee has introduced the amateur level in 19 events, including table tennis. The qualifications of the amateur table tennis competition was played in early June and the main draw will be played from 1 September to 4 September with a total of 32 teams from the men's and women's side will compete for the team titles.
2. Mixed-provinces Pairs
In the past Games, athletes paired up with the athletes from the same province to play in the doubles event. In order to cope with the preparation of the Tokyo Olympic Games, the General Administration of Sports allows mixed-provinces pairing in the 13th Chinese National Games. Table tennis is one of the events that benefits from the policy. The mixed-provinces pairing policy will allow more flexibility in pairing which strong players can pair up with outstanding players from other provinces.
As to promote the sport, the Chinese team has sent mixed-nationality pairs to the Worlds rather than their strongest combination but we might have a first glance of the contenders of the Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles athletes here in the 13th Games. In the mixed doubles event, Fan Zhendong and Zhu Yuling, Tokyo Olympics hopefuls, formed pairs and are the no.1 seed of the competition. The mixed-nationality pairs may not edge out a lot in the WTTC but with no language barriers would the mixed-provinces pairs stand out in the competition? Comment below and share your thoughts!
Who are in the 13th Chinese National Games (table tennis)?
In late March, each provincial team has sent their top players to strive for the spots in the main round of the Chinese National Games. Check the recap to know how did the players qualify to the main draw! The following table tells who has qualified to each event! Li Xiaoxia is eligible to play in the Games but since she is preparing for her wedding and has announced that she will not play in the Games, we do not include her in the list below.
Detailed previews of each event will be posted in the later weeks including who are the favorites and the competition format. Stay tuned.
When does the 13th Chinese National Games start?
The 13th Chinese National Games will be held from 28 August to 6 September in Wuqing Gymnasium in Tianjin, China. 2 medals will be produced on 1 September (team), 5 September (doubles), 6 September (singles) and 1 medal on 3 September (mixed doubles). Click here for the detailed competition schedule and make sure you follow the blog, we will keep you updated once there is the latest information about the schedule and TV broadcast.
NEXT UP: Don't miss our CNG Throwbacks (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and previews of each event (every Saturday) followed by this intro. I wish to have a more frequent updates of previews but given the draw of the singles and team event have not yet started and the draw is a huge thing to the result of the competition, I will write those previews at around 2 weeks before the Games when the draw is made. Follow the blog by clicking the button in the right-hand column and comment below to let me know your thoughts!
Wow, Hao Shuai? I didn't realize he still played championships. Guess I supposed he retired along with Ma Lin, Wang Liqin and Chen Qi, but I guess he's still going (fairly) strong. Are Taiwanese players not allowed to participate anymore?
ReplyDeleteHao Shuai and Zhang Chao are 2 experienced players who will be playing in the Games. They did retire from the national team along with Ma Lin, Wang Liqin and Chen Qi but they keep on training and play in the CTTSL to maintain their competitiveness. Hao Shuai is playing in front of his home crowd at the 13th Games which is very likely his last Games. Let's see whether he will have a happy ending. Zhang Chao is a coach of the Guangdong provincial team and he will compete in the 13th Games too. He played a big role in the preliminary round to help Team Guangdong to qualify to the main draw. I hope he can play well in the main draw.
DeleteThere are not much information about the Taiwanese Team in the Chinese National Games. As far as I know, the Taiwanese participated in the Games in 1975 only but not in the other Games.
Thank you Magnus for your comments. Do you have any comments on my blog (things that I need to improve)?
To tell the truth, I can't really think of too much that you could do better. For a long time, non-chinese table tennis fans have been positively starving for more in-depth information about Chinese TT, so discovering your blog is like entering a never-ending all-you-can-eat-buffet.
DeleteBut I guess there is one thing I am curious about, and that is the question of how Chinese TT is structured from beginners up until the point where we find players such as the ones you've presented in the Y2K-club. I worked as a youth coach in Sweden for a number of years, but also had the fortune of visiting China for two weeks. Consequently, I've pondered the differences and similarities between Sweden and China alot, a question which strikes me as particularly pertinent considering the rivalry between the countries from the 80's to the early 2000's. I also know alot of the players from Sweden's golden era (Jörgen Persson, Peter Karlsson etc).
During my stay in China I was at the Olympic Center in Wuhan (which had a more specific name that I can't recall at this moment), and I was struck by two things:
1) the young age of some of the players who lived and practiced there and
2) the extraordinary level and technical prowess displayed by the younger players.
As you might know, European culture is an eon away from eastern Asian culture, especially when it comes to children and sports. In the western/northern part of Europe people tend to emphasize having fun, doing what you feel like and paying attention to children's wants and desires, whereas in China you're expected to listen to your parents/coach and do your utmost when so asked (is my impression!).
So I guess what I would be curious about is: how do chinese kids learn to play table tennis? How do you organize training for kids aged 5 or 6, who in my experience aren't even close to making contact with the ball? (Because their motor skills are underdeveloped, their ability to concentrate is more or less non-existent etc.)
Do they even play with each other, or with a parent, or maybe by doing multiball with someone older? Do they start by practicing other things than table tennis? Do they progress in a certain order, learning one thing at a time, or do you start playing matches early on? (as has been the tradition in Sweden, for instance)
For me, the secret to the Chinese dominance lies in the fact that they manage to foster players with few, if any, obvious weaknesses or technical deficiencies from an early age. Hence, you're free to focus on improving their performance in matches once they grow older. In Sweden I often get the impression that we try to change these things once players are 15-16 or even older, which I feel is all too late.
It'll probably be quiet on my front for a while now, since I'm off to Hong Kong for three weeks, but I will make sure to stay as updated as I possibly can :)
Hi, Magnus. Thanks for your reply. It will certainly motivate me to be more productive in writing the blog.
DeleteRegarding your question, I am afraid that I am not a pro in answering the questions but I could share what I've read from interviews. After all, I am just a fan who follows major table tennis competitions and play table tennis when I was in primary and secondary school. I did not go through the process of training as a professional athlete, so I do not know the details behind the training in China.
According to the interviews, most Chinese table tennis athletes started by joining table tennis classes, as an extra-curriculum activities. Some of them joined because they love table tennis, while some join because their family members love table tennis. There are also some are selected to play table tennis by coaches from table tennis schools such as Xu Xin and Wang Liqin etc.
For some kids (usually 8-13 years old) who stand out in provincial competitions (novice division) may be selected to be part of the provincial team and this is when they turn to train as a professional athlete (they receive salary for playing table tennis once they become an official provincial team member). Young provincial team members usually have classes in the morning and training after school. They attend in provincial and national competitions and national training camps for the junior athletes. For those who make the top 2 in the cadet national championships, top 4 in the junior national championships in the singles event, or show great potentials in training camps may earn a spot in the national B team.
The B team members undergo more internal competitions and national competitions to strive for a spot in the A team and finally a spot to compete in the international scene. It is a long way to climb all the way up to the national team and the competition for a spot in the national team is intense. Only a handful of athletes make to the top of the pyramid while others might go back to school and study like ordinary people do. And some provincial table tennis team athletes do part-time/full-time coaching in table tennis clubs.
I think kids rarely get interested in table tennis in their first try. However after months or even years of regular table tennis classes, they make friends or they have a sense of success for making some progress or winning some matches and then all of a sudden they discover the charisma of table tennis and fall in love with the sport. Indeed it is hard to ask 5 year-old kids to train hard but once they like the sport and have a goal (such as making to the national team), there is a reason and huge motivation for them to train hard.
You've mentioned the Chinese education/coaching style. This reminds me of a BBC documentary "Are Our Kids Tough Enough Chinese School". It does not relate to table tennis but it explain the differences of the education style between the Chinese and the West.Kids listen and obey to their parents, teachers and coaches because it is part of the culture and probably because the Chinese coaches are very strict (well, they are doing that all for the kids' own good). When kids get older, they understand all the scoldings and harsh punishment are another way to express love and care from the teachers, they follow the instructions and do what was being told (of course there are also times when kids are naughty).
Are you going to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open? Anyway, have a safe trip and enjoy!
Hmm... All very fascinating. I definitely see where you're coming from, but the kind of discipline and leadership that you (and many with you) see as a token of care would be considered almost authoritarian and brutal back here. It's in no way taken for granted that parents/coaches/grown ups in general always know what's best for kids and young people, so their freedom to choose their own way is far greater. I'm not sure that is the best way to go, but what I do think is that the two views are very hard to reconcile. As an Asian coach once said to me: "In Europe, you have to accept that the players 'always knows best', even when they don't. In Asia, the coach always knows best, and that's the only thing the players know for sure"
DeleteIndeed I am (although I'm not playing, thank heavens), it's a combined competition/training journey, during which I hope to learn one or two things about player development. Hong Kong isn't China, admittedly, but it's a table tennis nation on the rise these past few years, so it'll be interesting to see and compare. Let me know if you happen to be around! :)
Great to hear that! I heard that 2017 Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open will be giving out free tickets 30 minutes prior to the competition begins. Here is the website with the schedule of the event. Hope it is useful!
Deletehttp://www.hktta.org.hk/2017hkjo/Ticketing.html
The player development of Hong Kong is very different from China but they invite Chinese coaches and players to improve the program for professional players. (Hong Kong people will be proud to tell you the first Chinese to win a World champion is actually from Hong Kong. He is Rong Guotuan who won men's singles champion in 1959. ) From late-80s to early 00s, team Hong Kong mainly rely on the in-coming mainland players to compete in international competitions, like Qi Baohua and Chen Danlei who won bronze in women's team in 1990 Asian Games. Later, there were Li Ching and Ko Lai Chak who won silver in men's doubles in Athens Olympics and gold in Doha Asian Games. Since there are more regulations to restrict in-coming athletes, it has pushed the government to put more resources to foster local athletes. Starting from 2005 Hong Kong Sports Commission has been responsible for the sports development (elite program and community-wide) of Hong Kong.
Here is a TV program which featured Lee Ho Ching, a Hong Kong table tennis player, and other Hong Kong athletes to talk about their experience of becoming a professional athlete.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO670DM30Jc
There are a few programs regarding table tennis player development.
1. New Generation Program
Table tennis classes designed for kids aged 5-9 who want to learn table tennis at the beginner level
http://hstta.hktta.org.hk/html/athletes_training/training-1.html
2. Table Tennis Badge Scheme (organized by HSTTA)
5 levels are created to test participants' level of skills and knowledge of table tennis (open to all age groups).
http://hstta.hktta.org.hk/html/athletes_training/gift-1.html
3. Youth Athlete Training Program 青苗乒乓球培訓計劃
2-day-per-week training program designed for kids aged 7-14 who master the basic techniques of table tennis.
http://www.hktta.org.hk/training_activity/yat/
4. The Elite Team
U15 athletes who have outstanding results Hong Kong youth championships and inter-school competitions are selected to train in the Elite Team
http://hstta.hktta.org.hk/html/athletes_training/training-4.html
Youth athletes who show great potentials may be selected to the Hong Kong junior team or Hong Kong team to represent Team Hong Kong to compete in international competitions. Since there are many uncertainties for being a professional athletes in Hong Kong, only few choose to train as full-time athlete after 15 years old while most give up the sport and continue their education.
I think you will learn more about the player development in Hong Kong when you talk to coaches and someone from HKTTA in Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open. The above information gives you a brief idea of what program is available in Hong Kong. However most outstanding Hong Kong table tennis players spend their time training in table tennis clubs in mainland China and learn from the mainland table tennis coaches. So I am not sure to what extent those programs help improve the level of Hong Kong elite table tennis players but I am sure they provide opportunities for kids to develop their interest in table tennis.