The Feb 17 signing ceremony also saw the unveiling of the event logo and Shanghai Seamaster Shipbroking Company as the main competition sponsor. The logo focuses on the host city's initials, WX, and shapes the letters into a table tennis player swinging a paddle.

The logo of the 23rd ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships uses the city's initials, WX, and takes on the shape of a player swinging a paddle. [Photo/wxrb.com]

Shi certainly has high expectations for the championships and expects China to act as an impeccable host and put out its strongest roster. Although the official squads have not yet been announced, Olympic Champions Ma Long and Zhang Jike are rumored to be competing.

"The World Table Tennis Championships will take place in Germany this May. The Chinese team will pursue the best results possible in this Asian event that serves as qualifying for the global event."

Many fans of the sport may not be aware of Wuxi's strong connection to the Chinese table tennis team. Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui, former stars of Chinese table tennis and current head coaches of the country's men's and women's teams respectively, first became friends at a training camp in Wuxi 30 years ago. Curiously, the two legends of Chinese table tennis, who were 11 years old at the time, received the worst rankings in the camp and the only match Liu won was against Kong.

Liu Guoliang and Kong Linghui, two former world champions and good friends, are now the head coaches of the national men's and women's table tennis teams. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Hopefully, the Chinese team will be more successful in 2017 than the pair proved all those years ago.