Original title: Tokyo Olympics new rules for anti-epidemic table tennis games are not allowed to blow the ball or touch the table, and Malone gets two yellow cards a day in the warm-up match
[文/观察者网 阮佳琪]
There are still nine days to go before the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics. Affected by the new crown epidemic, the rules of this year’s table tennis competition are somewhat harsh: players are not allowed to touch the table with their hands or towels, and players are not allowed to blow the ball.
This new regulation may bring a lot of challenges to the Chinese national team. The warm-up match held in Weihai, Shandong last week simulated the competition links and requirements of the Eastern Olympics. As a result, the national table tennis team captain Ma Long was habitually rubbed by his hands. The sweaty table received two yellow cards in one day. Strong national table tennis players such as Fan Zhendong and Liu Shiwen also bluntly stated that they are “somewhat uncomfortable” with the new regulations, but they can understand them from the perspective of epidemic prevention and safety. While working hard to adapt, they will adjust their mentality and control the rhythm of the game in time to avoid being affected by the new regulations.
Recently, Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, also stated in an interview that many difficulties and changes, including the new anti-epidemic regulations such as “prohibition of touching the table and blowing the ball”, made preparations for the Olympic Games “extremely difficult”, but after a period of adjustments , “The Chinese table tennis team is ready, just waiting for the soldiers to go to Tokyo.”
On July 11, the Chinese table tennis team returned to Beijing after a 40-day sprint closed training in Weihai. It will charter a flight to Tokyo, Japan in the near future, officially embarking on the Tokyo Olympics journey.
According to a CCTV News report on the 13th, Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, said that this time preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, the Chinese table tennis team has experienced many difficulties. “For example, due to the epidemic, players are not allowed to touch the table with their hands in table tennis matches, including blowing air. .”
This news was posted on the hot search on Weibo and immediately attracted thousands of Chinese netizens to complain. Everyone questioned Dongao’s repeated horizontal and formal anti-epidemic standards. Popular comments from Gao Zhan said: “Let quarantined and not quarantined. Athletes from different countries can live together, but they cannot touch sports equipment during exercise. What is the logic?” “Is it necessary to swim in one pool per person and change the water for disinfection after a match?”…
Moreover, since the gradual resumption of various table tennis matches under the new crown epidemic, there has never been a “prohibition of touching the table and blowing” for the sake of epidemic prevention.
ITTF tournaments will restart in China in 2020. At that time, the “bubble tournament” mode was adopted, that is, all relevant personnel participating in the tournament must be trained and competed in a relatively isolated environment after strict epidemic prevention and testing.
After the 2020 Women’s World Cup, the participating players of the various associations are preparing for the match,National Table Tennis Women’s Team Coaching StaffTeam leader Ma Lin and Japanese teenager Mima Ito face offSome netizens are even more worried: “Damn it, this new rule makes it impossible for children to kick-off.”
Because you have to know that for many table tennis players, touching the table and blowing on the ball is a habitual movement that has been developed almost from the beginning of learning table tennis. In the daily competition of the Guangguo Ping Pong Team, we can see everyone doing these two moves in unison.
Just touch it, let me touch:
Guoping three consecutive blows:
This is not the only national table tennis player, some foreign table tennis players will also have such a small habit.
Sweden”Mozart“Nova WaldnerAs for why everyone has this habit, it is not to say that these two small actions contain the “unique secrets” in the end.
According to an earlier report by Information Daily, the head coach of the men’s table tennis team of the Jiangxi Provincial Sports Bureau Ball Management Center once explained that in fact, athletes “blow” on the ball. It is most likely that the surface of the ball is covered with dust, just like sometimes athletes. The ball is also habitually placed on clothes or towels to wipe it, all in order to wipe the ball cleaner, the ball can better rub against the racket, and it can make a beautiful spinning ball better. In addition, blowing may be a simple habit for some athletes, or it may be a kind of psychological hint that can relieve oneself during intense competitions.
The habit of wiping the table is mainly because the sweat dripping on the table will affect the ball’s drop point; or the hand sweat is too much, in order to avoid slippage, the hand sweat is wiped on the table where there is a high probability that the ball will not fall (such as Below the net).
Although this new regulation has caused a lot of discussion, since it is a regulation, as a participant, you must always respect the organizer and abide by the relevant regulations. In order to adapt to these special rules as soon as possible, Liu Guoliang said that during preparations, the coaching staff tried their best to hone the players’ ability to resist pressure and interference.
The Chinese table tennis team’s Olympic entry list has been announced earlier. 6 players and 2 P card (substitute) players will go to Tokyo-women’s singles: Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha; women’s team: Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, Liu Shiwen; P Card: Wang Manyu. Men’s singles: Ma Long, Fan Zhendong; men’s team: Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Xu Xin; P card: Wang Chuqin. Mixed doubles: Xu Xin/Liu Shiwen.
Last week, the Chinese table tennis team held the last Olympic warm-up match before going to Tokyo, with particular emphasis on strengthening the psychological qualities of the above-mentioned eight players and allowing them to participate in the Olympics in the best condition. Therefore, they simulated the Eastern Olympics game. And the relevant requirements and regulations of Dongao are strictly implemented.
This warm-up match can be said to have caused them a lot of “pain”. On the first day of the game, the national table tennis captain Ma Long ushered in the “double egg yolk” warning: because he used to wipe the sweat with his hands during the game. On the table, Malone received a yellow card in the men’s singles and doubles competitions.
According to Dong Olympic’s epidemic prevention requirements, in similar situations, athletes cannot directly wipe the table with their hands. Instead, they should interrupt the game and request the referee to intervene, otherwise they may be warned by the referee. Such regulations also made Malone bluntly said that “it may disrupt the rhythm of the athletes, (I) need to adapt again.”
Picture from“Ping Pong World” MagazineSuddenly changing a long-time old habit, including veterans of national table tennis such as Fan Zhendong and Liu Shiwen are also very uncomfortable, but both said that they must respect and abide by the relevant regulations of the Olympic Games.
From the perspective of safety and epidemic prevention, Fan Zhendong believes that such a regulation can be understood. He also mentioned that since such a regulation is for all athletes, it is actually fair; Liu Shiwen also said that he must quickly adapt to such changes, and besides controlling himself not to violate In addition to the regulations, you must adjust your mentality and stabilize your rhythm. In case you are warned by the referee due to negligence, you must also remind yourself not to be affected in subsequent matches.
This warm-up match is not to compete for the final championship, but to allow Olympic contestants to find problems and find deficiencies through the competition. Only by adapting to the rules and rhythm of the Olympic Games in advance can we be more calm when we arrive at the Olympic venue. From the perspective of the competition process, these Olympic contestants have basically adapted to the new Eastern Olympics rules.
On the 11th, the Chinese table tennis team returned to Beijing after a 40-day sprint closed training in Weihai. Liu Guoliang said that this means that the national table tennis has officially ended its five-year Olympic preparations, and the Chinese table tennis team is ready to wait for the soldiers to send to Tokyo. “We are ready. We are full of confidence and have achieved our goals in all aspects including mental state. We will gradually enter the rhythm of the game, adjust our mentality and position, pack light and enjoy the Olympics.”
From the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Chinese table tennis team has achieved gold medals in table tennis for three consecutive Olympic Games. Although mixed doubles events have been added to the Tokyo Olympics this year, the goal of China’s “Dream Team” remains unchanged, and it is still to win the gold medal.
According to China News, the Chinese table tennis team will have a short break after returning to Beijing, and will travel to Tokyo in about a week. The Tokyo Olympic table tennis competition will kick off on July 24, and the mixed doubles Olympic history will be the first gold on the 26th.
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