'Trust and support'

As a legend of Chinese table tennis, Liu won all the major international titles as a player before becoming head coach of Team China. In 2018, he was elected president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA).

In 2021, he was elected to the ITTF Executive Committee, and last month was appointed deputy president of the world governing body. Now the 46-year-old is firmly focused on enhancing the sport's appeal worldwide.

"The new role represents the trust and support from this international organization, and it also shows the position of Chinese table tennis in the world. From being an athlete, a coach, then becoming president of the CTTA, and now I have joined the WTT and ITTF. So, I have changed many roles. But what has remained unchanged is my love and passion for this sport," said Liu.

"Our team traveled from all over the world. For the past three years, we overcame tremendous difficulties due to the pandemic to stage these events. Together, we present the world the best table tennis events, and we make contributions together for the sport's growth."

Liu's hard work earned recognition from the ITTF, which also expressed confidence in his ability to steer table tennis in the right direction worldwide.

"Liu Guoliang is not only a former world table tennis star, he is also very kind and humble and has never left the field of table tennis," said ITTF president Petra Sorling.

"He can be a bridge between athletes and decision-makers. After he becomes the deputy president, I believe his rich experience will be more applied to the work of the ITTF Executive Committee."

Stephen Dainton, ITTF Group chief executive officer, is also confident that Liu's dedication to table tennis will make the sport "bigger than ever".

"Liu Guoliang's long history of leadership, coupled with his unique experience across all areas of our sport, makes him the ideal person to chair the Board of World Table Tennis," said Dainton.

"We know him as a famous table tennis player, as one of the most successful coaches in the history of our sport, and, that he accepts this very important position is also an honor for us.

"His main work is to help us increase (the scale of) the table tennis industry. We have big expectations and hopes, but we can also see here in Chengdu the excellent work he has done so far. Together with Liu Guoliang, we will grow our sport and make it bigger than ever before. I am very much looking forward to collaborating with him in his new role."

shifutian@chinadaily.com.cn