China unveils squad for table tennis team worlds in Busan

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- China announced on Tuesday its squad for the upcoming ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan, South Korea, aiming to defend its titles in the tournament.

China's men's team is composed of Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan, while Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong will represent China in the women's team competition.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association said the players have been selected based on the latest ITTF world rankings, with the five highest-ranked players in singles categories making the cut.

"They are the best players in this Olympic cycle and have proven themselves in many major international competitions. This is the strongest squad that we have at the current stage," said Li Sun, chief coach of the Chinese team.

For Li, the table tennis team worlds in Busan will be the final team competition ahead of the Paris Olympic Games, and serve as an important test for the Chinese team's training over the past weeks.

"We aim at winning the titles in Busan, and we will make the most of this competition to test our players and gain experience for the Paris Olympics," he added.

Ma Lin, the head coach of China's women's table tennis team, highlighted that the selected players have demonstrated exceptional performances throughout the Paris Olympic cycle.

"We will fight for the win and showcase our mentality in Busan," commented Ma.

Wang Hao, Ma's counterpart for the men's team, also said the five male players heading for Busan are the best in consideration of world rankings, stabilities and abilities.

"We have only one goal in Busan - going for the title," commented Wang.

China has secured the men's team title ten times in a row and the women's team title for five consecutive times at the World Championships. The 2024 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals will take place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center from February 16-25.