Former chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association Liu Guoliang, who has just stepped down for 21 days, faced rumors on May 14 that he was “arrested in Yunnan before fleeing the country.” The news quickly made it to the trending list and stayed there for a long time. However, the Chinese Table Tennis Association quickly denied the rumor.
On May 14, overseas social media platforms reported that Liu Guoliang, the former chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, was arrested in Yunnan while preparing to escape the country, and at the same time, his Beijing mansion was raided, with nearly a billion yuan in cash found. The report also revealed that Liu was involved with dozens of registered companies and studios, and the case also implicated former world champions Wang Nan and her husband.
“Liu Guoliang” and “Wang Nan” quickly became the top trending topics on mainland social media platforms.
The Secretary-General of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, He Xiao, immediately came forward to “clarify” the situation, stating that they have “noticed the false information circulating on overseas internet” and emphasized that the World Table Tennis Championships are about to begin, urging everyone to “not believe or spread rumors.”
However, the “clarification” did not dispel the suspicions of netizens, with many stating, “Usually, when they clarify, it turns out to be true.” “Where there is smoke, there is fire. The more you cover up, the more I believe what I believe.” “For those who are clarifying, can you find any public statements or videos of him after the 14th?” “Same old trick, Cai Zhenhua did the same thing back then. Those playing sports can’t outplay those playing politics.”
After losing the men’s singles title at the World Cup on April 23, the 49-year-old Liu Guoliang stepped down as chairman of the Table Tennis Association, two years earlier than originally planned, making him the shortest-serving chairman in the history of the Chinese Table Tennis Association. According to regulations, the chairman should change every four years and can serve a maximum of two terms. Liu Guoliang did not complete his second term and resigned mid-term, sparking heated debates and reaching the top of the trending list.
According to Ping Pong World news on May 14, Liu Guoliang is currently serving as the First Vice-Chairman of the International Table Tennis Federation and the Chairman of the WTT World Table Tennis Board. He is set to travel to Doha before the 21st of this month to attend the International Table Tennis Federation meeting.
Netizens believe that “We’ll see if he goes to Doha on the 21st. His presence or absence will be strong evidence to verify this rumor.”