On Feb. 2, the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) revealed the qualification criteria for the Men's and Women's World Cups, scheduled for April 14-20 at the Galaxy Arena in Macao, China.
Notably, the champions from the 2023 World Championships and the U19 category of the 2024 World Youth Championships will automatically qualify for the tournament.
This means that 2023 World Champions Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha and U19 champions Huang Youzheng from China and Germany's Annett Kaufmann are confirmed participants. Additionally, 20 slots will be filled through continental cup events across five continents, with the top four players from each event securing their spots.
Furthermore, 24 players will qualify based on world rankings. If no players from the host association qualify, they can nominate up to two participants. Each association can send a maximum of four players, increasing to six for those with world champions.
The recent withdrawal of Chinese players Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng from world rankings sparked discussion, with both citing fines for event withdrawals. In response, Liu Guoliang, President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, proposed several changes during discussions with the ITTF and WTT.
He suggested allowing hidden world rankings for athletes facing personal challenges and called for removing mandatory participation rules, which he believes add undue pressure. Instead, he recommended alternative incentives to encourage participation. Liu also advocated for wildcard entries for distinguished athletes in major tournaments and urged for a more balanced event schedule to prevent injuries.
ITTF President Petra Sorin acknowledged the valuable feedback and emphasized the importance of addressing athletes' concerns.
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