Liu Guoliang resigned as CTTA president to ensure a smooth transition ahead of the 2028 Olympics.
by sportswriters Cao Jianjie and Su Bin
BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Liu Guoliang resigned as president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) on Wednesday, less than nine months after China swept the 2024 Olympic table tennis gold medals.
The 49-year-old handed the baton to his disciple Wang Liqin, a two-time Olympic champion who had climbed the ladder as a sports official in Shanghai since his retirement from playing in 2014.
Liu cited a smooth transition for the CTTA and an intention to spend more time with his family as reasons for his stepping down.
"I resigned at the right time to leave the new CTTA leadership a full cycle of preparations for the Los Angeles Olympic Games," said Liu.
"Now I am considering spending more time with my family."
Liu, one of 11 Grand Slam winners in the world - having won singles titles at the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup - became head coach of China's men's national team at 27 in 2003. He subsequently became chief coach of China's table tennis teams in 2013, and took the helm of the CTTA in 2018.
He is also a vice president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and the head of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Chair of Board.
"Honestly, I am a bit sad to leave," Liu said at the CTTA Congress, "but also a bit excited about future."
Liu choked with emotion a few times while giving his farewell speech.
"I planned to speak without looking into my paper as I always did," he said. "But now I am so emotional that I have to stick to the script."
Liu stated that he would continue to help Chinese table tennis and contribute to Chinese sports.
"My love for table tennis will never change," he said.
Six-time Olympic champion Ma Long, elected as a CTTA vice president on Wednesday, hailed Liu as a "great mind" and "visionary", thanking his mentor for making him who he is.
"Every step of my success is connected with him," said Ma.
Newly-crowned World Cup winner Sun Yingsha described Liu as "humorous, considerate and caring" and also as "a stern master".
Li Sun, chief coach of China's teams, saluted Liu as a "table tennis strategist", saying he is nearly invincible when he puts on his thinking head.
A proud defender of the traditional Chinese hitting style, Liu shot to fame in 1992 when he upset Sweden's legend Jan-Ove Waldner at just 16, and proved playing table tennis with a penhold grip was not a dying art.
Liu has since rejuvenated what once had been branded as outdated as the wooden tennis racket, the scissor-style high jump and bowling underarm in cricket.
As a player, Liu had won 11 Olympic, World Championships and World Cup titles. As a coach, he guided Chinese table tennis players to win nine of 10 gold medals at the Olympics. Later, the team missed just one title from 10 finals under his leadership as CTTA president. ■