Table Tennis Asian Championships Kick Off in Pyeongchang, South Korea
The 2023 Asian Table Tennis Championships have officially commenced in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This prestigious event, taking place from today until the 10th of this month, is a crucial stop in the Paris Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Notably, it grants three Olympic tickets for the men’s team, women’s team, and mixed doubles categories.
The Chinese table tennis team has sent their strongest lineup, consisting of 5 men and 6 women, with the aim of securing qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. Leading the charge is Lin Gaoyuan from Guangdong, who will be competing in the men’s team, men’s singles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Unfortunately, due to the absence of the 2021 Asian Championships, the Chinese teams will need to begin from the group stage in both team events.
The Chinese men’s team faced tough competition in their group matches against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Chinese women’s team had a double match in one day against the Chinese Taipei team and the Malaysian team.
With five gold medals up for grabs in the table tennis event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the Olympic qualifying competitions across all continents will commence later this year. As the world‘s leading table tennis team, the Chinese team qualifed for the men’s team, women’s team, and mixed doubles in the Asian Championships of the previous Olympic cycle, and they are expected to perform exceptionally this year as well.
The Asian Championships features seven individual competitions, including men’s team, women’s team, men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The Chinese team enjoys a significant advantage in the men’s and women’s team events, with top players such as Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, and Chen Xingtong representing the team.
The main contenders for the Chinese team in the men’s team competition are the Japanese men’s team led by Zhang Benzhihe and the host Korean men’s team. In the women’s team event, the Japanese women’s volleyball team, led by Mima Ito, and the host South Korean team pose formidable challenges.
In the men’s and women’s singles events, the Chinese team will field the same lineup as the team event. The men’s doubles event will see pairs Ma Long/Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong/Lin Gaoyuan representing China. For the women’s doubles event, Sun Yingsha/Wang Yidi and Chen Meng/Wang Manyu will be competing.
The mixed doubles champion at this year’s Asian Championships will secure qualification for the Paris Olympic Games. Each association is allowed to send only one pair to participate in the Olympic mixed doubles event. Therefore, the Chinese Table Tennis Association has chosen Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha, known as the number one mixed doubles combination of the Chinese team, as well as Lin Gaoyuan/Wang Yidi and Liang Jingkun/Qian Tianyi to compete for the Olympic ticket.
Table tennis enthusiasts and fans from around the world are eagerly following the intense matches at the Asian Championships in Pyeongchang, as the race to secure Olympic qualification heats up.