The finals are yet to come but it is definitely a big day in table tennis history. As the DPR. Korea and Korea team will form a Unified Korea team and play against Japan in the women's team semifinal at the 2018 World Team Championships on Friday morning (4 May) in Sweden time. Once again in history, table tennis helps initiate a collaboration between the two Koreas since the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan.
Despite the reduction of spins in the new table tennis ball, the small ball (table tennis) has spun the big ball (the globe) even more vigorously in the world of table tennis. On 3 May morning, members of the DPR. Korea team and Korea team marched into the arena but the 2 teams did not play the quarterfinal match as anticipated. Instead, there were hugs and group photos, along with the usual handshakes and a show of mutual respect between the 2 teams which encountered in the quarterfinals and will compete as one in the semifinals.
DPR. Korea was the second best team of Group C to qualify for the knockout stage. The team won 3-0 over Russia in the round of 16 and would be playing against Korea, the winning team of Group D, in the quarterfinals. It was a usual entry of the players but not long after the handshakes and group photos, the 2 teams told the umpire that they don't want to compete on the table against each other but form a unified Korea team to compete in the semifinals. The Unified Korea Team will play against Japan in the semifinal on 4 May morning local time.
ITTF stated the decision for the unified team was a tripartite one between leaders the North and South Korean Table Tennis teams and the ITTF and was supported by the ITTF Board of Directors.
President of the Table Tennis Association of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Ju Jong Chol stated: “This is the result of the strong support provided by the ITTF and IOC. We will do our best to get more successful results internationally in a joint effort between North and South Korea.”
Korea Table Tennis Association Vice President and IOC member Ryu Seungmin said “This is a big historical decision for both our countries. This is Table Tennis history so we are very happy. I would like to thank the ITTF for their strong support. This is an important statement to promote peace between our countries through Table Tennis.”
It was 28 years ago since the Koreans formed a Unified Team at the World Table Tennis Championships. Back in 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan, the Unified Korea Team won a historic women's team gold over the Chinese.
No wonder it is an occasion for An Jaehyun, the coach of the Korea Republic Team remembers, “I’m very emotional, it is the first time since Chiba, I feel I am in Chiba. The agreement to unify underlines the power of table tennis.”
Coach of the Chinese women's team, Li Sun recalls the 2-3 loss of the Chinese team to the Unified Team in 1991 but he confidently replied, "The loss in 1991 was generations away It's now a new generation of Chinese women and things are very different. We are familiar with our opponents and we have the confidence in winning the championship. It's good to know the Koreans formed a Unified Team which the team will be much stronger but it won't affect the Chinese. As for now, the Chinese will prepare one match at a time and focus on the semifinal first." Li Sun stressed that
Indeed, the victory of the Unified Team at the 1991 World Championships is likely to have happened before the athletes were born. Thus, focusing on the upcoming matches are the main tasks for the athletes.
South Korean player Jeon Jihee said: "This is a historic moment for the 2 teams. All team members of the Korean Republic team supported the decision. From my point of view, my goal is to win a team medal. With a stronger team, the unified team will have a stronger desire to strive for the goals. Yet, the cons are there will be 3 players up only. I think the news is unbelievable and we shall prepare for the upcoming matches."
Kazumi Ishikawa, the team captain of the Japan women's team said, "I knew about the news when I watched their match. It was a bit shocking to me. Since the decision was made, we will try our best and prepare for the next match. The unified team will be tougher to beat. We hope we can play better tomorrow.
In all, the responses from ITTF, athletes and coaches are positive towards the decision for the Unified Team. As ITTF President Thomas Weikert mentioned in the press conference, teams which have the possibility of making to the semifinals were informed about the decision and they support it. Moreover, ITTF believes the implications of forming a unified team has exceeded the principles of rules and regulations. Therefore, in general, the decision is well-perceived as a great sign for the relationships within the Korea penisulation, but some argue the sudden change is unfair to the other teams.
Is Collaboration Among Countries New to the World of Table Tennis?
Transnational collaboration is nothing new in table tennis. Back in the 1928 World Table Tennis Championships, Fanchette Flamm representing Austria and Maria Mednyanszky from Hungary teamed up in women's doubles and became the first mixed-nationality doubles to top the podium at World Championships. The more recent success in transnational collaboration is theSino-Korea collaboration at the 2015 World Championships where Xu Xin (China) and Yang Haeun (Korea) won mixed doubles world champion.
For more details about transnational collaboration in table tennis:
Read: Throwback Thursday: The 0.5 Medal, Transnational Collaboration in Table Tennis
It is less common to see a transnational collaboration in the team event but the last time a mixed-national team played at World Championships was at the 1991 World Championships in Chiba, Japan. The Koreans formed the Unified Korea Team which included athletes from both the North and South. The Championships ended on a high note with the Unified Korea Team winning the women's team champion. The 4 members of the champion-winning team are Hyun Jung Hwa, Hong Cha Ok, Li Bun Hui and Yu Sun Bok.
The following video is the highlights of the 1991 World Championships (the women's team final starts at 27:00). What a historic moment in table tennis history!
Collaboration across nation associations is common in table tennis and the two Koreans countries were once joined forces at 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. Thus, forming the Unified Korea Team itself will not cause heated controversy. However, for the very first time, at the 2018 World Championships, the 'unification' of the Korean teams happened half-way through the Championships. The teams competed separately in the group stage, each made its way to the quarterfinals and then decided to join forces after they encountered in quarterfinals. According to the athletes and coaches, the rumours about the unified team started on 2 May evening and was confirmed on 3 May morning. Such an abrupt arrangement gives people an impression that the decision was made in a haste and lacking thorough consideration. This is also the reason for some people feel shocked and discontent about the decision for the Unified Korea Team.
What Are the Concerns and Possible Outcomes Of the Unified Korea Team?
There are always 2 sides of the story. From the Unified Korea Team's perspective, the newly-collaborated team will be a stronger team and has a larger depth to pick for the lineup. As the Unified Korea Team have 10 players to pick from as opposed to 5 for other teams. On the other hand, the team may face new problems in selecting players to play for the team as only 3 players are up in a team match which team will have a larger representative on the Unified Team, who will make the final decision of the lineup and coaching are some foreseeable issues the team would need to deal with.
The fairness of the competition is also widely debated regarding the decision. Every competition has its rules and regulations. Let's say the number of players on each team, the playing system and other arrangements were stated before the tournament and will be followed and respected by the participants. However, if the rules can be changed during the competition by a particular party, the legitimacy of the rules and regulations will be very questionable. Finger crossed and let's just hope Japan will win over the Unified Korea Team, or else the Japanese team could make a fuss over the decision for the Unified Korea Team.
Some fear that introducing the Unified Korea Team in the middle of the Championships would set a bad precedent. One of the purposes for having competitions is to credit athletes' distinct performance. Yet, if every team tries to think of maximizing their chances of winning a medal through changing the rules and regulations, the value of competition will be disoriented. The tolerance of random changes in competition arrangement would also harm the spectators' experience of enjoying the match. Take 2018 WTTC as an example, some people anticipated to watch the quarterfinal matches but they might end up disappointed because one of the matches have turned out a handshake.
The worries and concerns behind, many find the Unified Korea Team once again proves the power of sport in bringing closer relationships among nations and associations. It may also encourage other countries to collaborate on different occasions to share the knowledge and resources of table tennis and push the development of the sport. ITTF reiterates that the incident is a special case as they believe the significance of merging the two Korean teams deserve their effort to break the usual practice and they thank the support of the associations and committees.
Possible Alternatives?
I would say this is an unprecedented surprise. By coincidence, DPR Korea and the Korea Republic met in the quarterfinals, and leaders from the two associations have the intention of teaming up the two teams, and the international relations between the two Koreas has reached its all-time high since the Korean war following the significant meeting between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and South Korea's Moon Jae-in last week where the leaders agreed to work towards "lasting peace". The Unified Korea Team will not make it missing any of these factors.
I am chuffed to have witnessed this historic moment (in front of my pc) when athletes and coaches from the North and South hugged each other and announced they will be competing as one of the following matches at the Championships. However, I wonder is forming the Unified Korea Team half-way through the championships the only way to bridge the relationships of the two Koreas? Could it be a collaboration in training or post-Championships event so as to minimize the shock of the incident? After all, athletes have trained years for the Team Championships which is held once every 2 years, it can be quite devastating if their experience is affected by the decision for the sake of "political show". Anyway, since the decision for the Unified Korea Team has already made, we shall enjoy the match and understand the message underlies in the competition.
Let us know your feelings and thoughts about the Unified Korea Team at 2018 World Team Championships in the comment box below!
For more details about transnational collaboration in table tennis:
Read: Throwback Thursday: The 0.5 Medal, Transnational Collaboration in Table Tennis
It is less common to see a transnational collaboration in the team event but the last time a mixed-national team played at World Championships was at the 1991 World Championships in Chiba, Japan. The Koreans formed the Unified Korea Team which included athletes from both the North and South. The Championships ended on a high note with the Unified Korea Team winning the women's team champion. The 4 members of the champion-winning team are Hyun Jung Hwa, Hong Cha Ok, Li Bun Hui and Yu Sun Bok.
The following video is the highlights of the 1991 World Championships (the women's team final starts at 27:00). What a historic moment in table tennis history!
Collaboration across nation associations is common in table tennis and the two Koreans countries were once joined forces at 1991 World Table Tennis Championships. Thus, forming the Unified Korea Team itself will not cause heated controversy. However, for the very first time, at the 2018 World Championships, the 'unification' of the Korean teams happened half-way through the Championships. The teams competed separately in the group stage, each made its way to the quarterfinals and then decided to join forces after they encountered in quarterfinals. According to the athletes and coaches, the rumours about the unified team started on 2 May evening and was confirmed on 3 May morning. Such an abrupt arrangement gives people an impression that the decision was made in a haste and lacking thorough consideration. This is also the reason for some people feel shocked and discontent about the decision for the Unified Korea Team.
What Are the Concerns and Possible Outcomes Of the Unified Korea Team?
There are always 2 sides of the story. From the Unified Korea Team's perspective, the newly-collaborated team will be a stronger team and has a larger depth to pick for the lineup. As the Unified Korea Team have 10 players to pick from as opposed to 5 for other teams. On the other hand, the team may face new problems in selecting players to play for the team as only 3 players are up in a team match which team will have a larger representative on the Unified Team, who will make the final decision of the lineup and coaching are some foreseeable issues the team would need to deal with.
The fairness of the competition is also widely debated regarding the decision. Every competition has its rules and regulations. Let's say the number of players on each team, the playing system and other arrangements were stated before the tournament and will be followed and respected by the participants. However, if the rules can be changed during the competition by a particular party, the legitimacy of the rules and regulations will be very questionable. Finger crossed and let's just hope Japan will win over the Unified Korea Team, or else the Japanese team could make a fuss over the decision for the Unified Korea Team.
Some fear that introducing the Unified Korea Team in the middle of the Championships would set a bad precedent. One of the purposes for having competitions is to credit athletes' distinct performance. Yet, if every team tries to think of maximizing their chances of winning a medal through changing the rules and regulations, the value of competition will be disoriented. The tolerance of random changes in competition arrangement would also harm the spectators' experience of enjoying the match. Take 2018 WTTC as an example, some people anticipated to watch the quarterfinal matches but they might end up disappointed because one of the matches have turned out a handshake.
The worries and concerns behind, many find the Unified Korea Team once again proves the power of sport in bringing closer relationships among nations and associations. It may also encourage other countries to collaborate on different occasions to share the knowledge and resources of table tennis and push the development of the sport. ITTF reiterates that the incident is a special case as they believe the significance of merging the two Korean teams deserve their effort to break the usual practice and they thank the support of the associations and committees.
Possible Alternatives?
I would say this is an unprecedented surprise. By coincidence, DPR Korea and the Korea Republic met in the quarterfinals, and leaders from the two associations have the intention of teaming up the two teams, and the international relations between the two Koreas has reached its all-time high since the Korean war following the significant meeting between the North's leader Kim Jong-un and South Korea's Moon Jae-in last week where the leaders agreed to work towards "lasting peace". The Unified Korea Team will not make it missing any of these factors.
I am chuffed to have witnessed this historic moment (in front of my pc) when athletes and coaches from the North and South hugged each other and announced they will be competing as one of the following matches at the Championships. However, I wonder is forming the Unified Korea Team half-way through the championships the only way to bridge the relationships of the two Koreas? Could it be a collaboration in training or post-Championships event so as to minimize the shock of the incident? After all, athletes have trained years for the Team Championships which is held once every 2 years, it can be quite devastating if their experience is affected by the decision for the sake of "political show". Anyway, since the decision for the Unified Korea Team has already made, we shall enjoy the match and understand the message underlies in the competition.
Let us know your feelings and thoughts about the Unified Korea Team at 2018 World Team Championships in the comment box below!
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