Three Chinese Olympic Champions Withdraw from WTT Finals

World Table Tennis (WTT) announced on Wednesday that three of China’s top Olympic champions—Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, and Chen Meng—have withdrawn from the upcoming WTT Finals in Fukuoka, Japan, set to take place next week.

With their absence, WTT has confirmed replacements for these star players. Germany’s Benedikt Duda will take Fan Zhendong’s place, Sweden’s Anton Kallberg will replace Ma Long, and Romania’s Bernadette Szocs will step in for Chen Meng.

During the recent Olympic Games, Fan won the men’s singles gold medal and later joined Ma and Wang Chuqin to clinch the team event title for China. Meanwhile, Chen Meng successfully defended her women’s singles title and contributed to a team gold victory alongside teammates Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu.

Since the Olympics, Fan and Chen have not competed in any international events, while Ma last appeared in the WTT China Smash in October, where he secured the runner-up position.

The WTT Finals will be held in Kitakyushu, Japan, from November 20 to 24, featuring the world’s top 16 singles players and top eight doubles pairs.