Latest news with #tabletennis
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Fan Zhendong condemns ‘battlefield' of China's toxic fan culture
Table tennis superstar Fan Zhendong has voiced a wish for the public to dampen down China's so-called toxic fan culture, saying it had caused him anxiety. Advertisement Fan spoke out in a television interview screened during the second leg of the Chinese Table Tennis Super League in Fujian, which ended on Monday with the Olympic champion having been dominant. The 28-year-old from Guangzhou said fans' actions sometimes hurt not only athletes but also teams, teammates, friends and families. 'To this day, I still can't get over it, and I still think that they shouldn't be in this place that should be pure,' Fan told Phoenix TV in a 26-minute interview that he shared on Chinese social media. 'Sport should not be reduced to a battlefield for fans. It belongs to love, passion, persistence and unity.'
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Malay Mail
Against all odds these Iraqi women are chasing Paralympic glory in table tennis
DIWANIYAH, July 28 — Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad adjusts her wheelchair before striking the ball into play, braving sweltering heat, social stigma and inadequate facilities as she dreams of taking her team to the Paralympics. Sarmad and seven other Iraqi women who live with disabilities train three times a week at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah, preparing for an upcoming tournament that could qualify them for the national Paralympic team. The facilities, however, are far from Olympic-standard. 'The tennis tables are broken, there are power outages and we even have to buy our own paddles,' said Sarmad, 25. With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community centre with visitors. In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls. Disabled Iraqi table tennis players compete during a training session at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah July 8, 2025. — AFP pic And the air conditioner that could provide some relief remains off-limits in a country grappling with chronic power cuts, especially in summer when temperatures approach 50C. The community centre is powered by a generator, but it can barely sustain the essentials. These practical issues 'affect our training' and hinder the players' progress, Sarmad said. The team also faces obstacles in the form of insufficient government funding for sports, and conservative views on women's rights and people with disabilities. Paralympic champion Najlah Imad, the first Iraqi to snare a gold medal in table tennis, told AFP that 'despite the difficult circumstances, nothing is impossible'. Imad, who now relies on sponsorship deals, encouraged her fellow players to keep fighting. 'You can do anything,' she said. A disabled Iraqi table tennis player hits the ball during a training session at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah July 8, 2025. — AFP pic No support Sarmad, who has already won several medals including bronze in a tournament in Thailand, takes pride in the fact that despite the many challenges, 'we overcame all this, we became players'. The state-owned community centre provides the team a stipend equivalent to US$75 (RM316) a month to cover transportation costs, but the players had to purchase their professional paddles, at a cost of US$200, out of their own pockets. The players often have to rely on taxis to travel to training sessions and back, but 'sometimes cabs refuse to take disabled people', said Sarmad. Coach Mohammed Riyad, 43, said that table tennis 'has developed in Diwaniyah solely through personal efforts... due to the lack of support from the state'. Riyad, a member of the Iraqi Paralympic Committee, said that funding sports was not a priority in a country where decades of conflicts, neglect and endemic corruption have devastated infrastructure. Disabled Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad uses a net to pick up balls during a training session at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah July 8, 2025. — AFP pic Through the Paralympic Committee, he has managed to acquire old equipment for Sarmad and her fellow players. He said that 'the state only focuses on football, despite the achievements of table tennis players' like Imad, who brought home the Paralympic gold from the 2024 Paris Games. Iraq has a long tradition of women's sports, with teams competing in regional football, weightlifting and boxing tournaments. But there is also vocal opposition seeking to exclude women and bar mixed-gender events. In southern Iraq, a largely conservative area where Sarmad's team is based, organisers of a marathon last year had made it a men-only event after a social media controversy over women's participation in sports. Iraqis living with disabilities often face additional challenges amid a general lack of awareness about their rights and inclusion. For award-winning table tennis player Iman Hamza, 24, society mistakenly sees women with disabilities like her 'as helpless people who cannot do anything'. 'But we became world champions.' — AFP
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad adjusts her wheelchair before striking the ball into play, braving sweltering heat, social stigma and inadequate facilities as she dreams of taking her team to the Paralympics. Sarmad and seven other Iraqi women who live with disabilities train three times a week at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah, preparing for an upcoming tournament that could qualify them for the national Paralympic team. The facilities, however, are far from Olympic-standard. "The tennis tables are broken, there are power outages and we even have to buy our own paddles," said Sarmad, 25. With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community centre with visitors. In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls. And the air conditioner that could provide some relief remains off-limits in a country grappling with chronic power cuts, especially in summer when temperatures approach 50C. The community centre is powered by a generator, but it can barely sustain the essentials. These practical issues "affect our training" and hinder the players' progress, Sarmad said. The team also faces obstacles in the form of insufficient government funding for sports, and conservative views on women's rights and people with disabilities. Paralympic champion Najlah Imad, the first Iraqi to snare a gold medal in table tennis, told AFP that "despite the difficult circumstances, nothing is impossible". Imad, who now relies on sponsorship deals, encouraged her fellow players to keep fighting. "You can do anything," she said. - No support - Sarmad, who has already won several medals including bronze in a tournament in Thailand, takes pride in the fact that despite the many challenges, "we overcame all this, we became players". The state-owned community centre provides the team a stipend equivalent to $75 a month to cover transportation costs, but the players had to purchase their professional paddles, at a cost of $200, out of their own pockets. The players often have to rely on taxis to travel to training sessions and back, but "sometimes cabs refuse to take disabled people", said Sarmad. Coach Mohammed Riyad, 43, said that table tennis "has developed in Diwaniyah solely through personal efforts... due to the lack of support from the state". Riyad, a member of the Iraqi Paralympic Committee, said that funding sports was not a priority in a country where decades of conflicts, neglect and endemic corruption have devastated infrastructure. Through the Paralympic Committee, he has managed to acquire old equipment for Sarmad and her fellow players. He said that "the state only focuses on football, despite the achievements of table tennis players" like Imad, who brought home the Paralympic gold from the 2024 Paris Games. Iraq has a long tradition of women's sports, with teams competing in regional football, weightlifting and boxing tournaments. But there is also vocal opposition seeking to exclude women and bar mixed-gender events. In southern Iraq, a largely conservative area where Sarmad's team is based, organisers of a marathon last year had made it a men-only event after a social media controversy over women's participation in sports. Iraqis living with disabilities often face additional challenges amid a general lack of awareness about their rights and inclusion. For award-winning table tennis player Iman Hamza, 24, society mistakenly sees women with disabilities like her "as helpless people who cannot do anything". "But we became world champions." cbg/rh/ami/smw/tc
France 24
5 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Sarmad and seven other Iraqi women who live with disabilities train three times a week at a community centre in the southern city of Diwaniyah, preparing for an upcoming tournament that could qualify them for the national Paralympic team. The facilities, however, are far from Olympic-standard. "The tennis tables are broken, there are power outages and we even have to buy our own paddles," said Sarmad, 25. With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community centre with visitors. In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls. And the air conditioner that could provide some relief remains off-limits in a country grappling with chronic power cuts, especially in summer when temperatures approach 50C. The community centre is powered by a generator, but it can barely sustain the essentials. These practical issues "affect our training" and hinder the players' progress, Sarmad said. The team also faces obstacles in the form of insufficient government funding for sports, and conservative views on women's rights and people with disabilities. Paralympic champion Najlah Imad, the first Iraqi to snare a gold medal in table tennis, told AFP that "despite the difficult circumstances, nothing is impossible". Imad, who now relies on sponsorship deals, encouraged her fellow players to keep fighting. "You can do anything," she said. No support Sarmad, who has already won several medals including bronze in a tournament in Thailand, takes pride in the fact that despite the many challenges, "we overcame all this, we became players". The state-owned community centre provides the team a stipend equivalent to $75 a month to cover transportation costs, but the players had to purchase their professional paddles, at a cost of $200, out of their own pockets. The players often have to rely on taxis to travel to training sessions and back, but "sometimes cabs refuse to take disabled people", said Sarmad. Coach Mohammed Riyad, 43, said that table tennis "has developed in Diwaniyah solely through personal efforts... due to the lack of support from the state". Riyad, a member of the Iraqi Paralympic Committee, said that funding sports was not a priority in a country where decades of conflicts, neglect and endemic corruption have devastated infrastructure. Through the Paralympic Committee, he has managed to acquire old equipment for Sarmad and her fellow players. He said that "the state only focuses on football, despite the achievements of table tennis players" like Imad, who brought home the Paralympic gold from the 2024 Paris Games. Iraq has a long tradition of women's sports, with teams competing in regional football, weightlifting and boxing tournaments. But there is also vocal opposition seeking to exclude women and bar mixed-gender events. In southern Iraq, a largely conservative area where Sarmad's team is based, organisers of a marathon last year had made it a men-only event after a social media controversy over women's participation in sports. Iraqis living with disabilities often face additional challenges amid a general lack of awareness about their rights and inclusion. For award-winning table tennis player Iman Hamza, 24, society mistakenly sees women with disabilities like her "as helpless people who cannot do anything". © 2025 AFP
South China Morning Post
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Macau's Zhu claims WTT US Smash victory, then hails ‘eye-catching' display by Chen
Macau's Zhu Yuling won the World Table Tennis (WTT) US Smash women's singles title in Las Vegas on Sunday, and then praised the 'eye-catching' performance of her beaten opponent Chen Yi. Chen had captured the imagination of fans in mainland China after eliminating some of the game's biggest stars, including world No 1 Sun Yingsha, en route to the final. But Zhu, herself a former world No 1, battled back from two games down to win 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8 at the Orleans Arena. 'I hope everyone will give Chen a round of applause,' Zhu said. 'Her performance was very eye-catching. 'She has experience beyond her age, and watching her was like seeing myself when I was younger.' Zhu Yuling (right) came back from behind to beat Chen at the WTT United States Smash on Sunday. Photo: Handout Zhu, who also urged Chen to 'be yourself' and ignore what the outside world thinks, said it was a game of fine margins.
