Paris 2024 Olympic champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng quit international table tennis

Olympic singles champions Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng have stunned table tennis by withdrawing from the sport's world rankings and international competitions.

On Friday (27 December), 27-year-old Fan posted on his Weibo page a copy of his 'Player Career Retirement Notification' which bars him from all events sanctioned by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

He said, "After successfully completing my Olympic mission, due to the huge psychological strain from the Paris cycle, I have not made any specific plans for future career except for my confirmed participation in the next National Games.

"Recently, the WTT (World Table Tennis) has announced new rules imposing fines for non-participation. Individuals cannot afford it but still respect international organisations, so the only course of action is to withdraw from the world rankings.

"I am still me. I will not retire and will continue to work hard to take part in different competitions. I will never stay away from table tennis, let alone sports."

Three hours later, Chen - who retained her Olympic singles title in Paris - shared her signed copy of the same letter on her Weibo page. She recounted "the great pressure" she felt mentally and physically ahead of the Games and said, "I need some time to adjust my physical condition and make new plans for my future career based on physical factors."

Like Fan, the 30-year-old cited the withdrawal fines in her decision, adding, "Because my body is currently unable to bear every high-intensity event, out of respect for international organisations, I signed the document on Monday and finally made the choice to withdraw from the world ranking.

"I am still the same person who loves table tennis. And I still look forward to meeting everyone on the court."

Paris 2024 gold medallists Fan and Chen skipped November's end-of-season WTT Finals in Fukuoka. Both stars from People's Republic of China were missing from the entry lists for the WTT Singapore Smash which starts in January.

The WTT Series and Feeder Handbook 2025, released on 20 December, says, "Players are entitled to two (2) free withdrawals from Main Draw and Qualifying per year at WTT Star Contender, WTT Contender and WTT Feeder Series, and from Qualifying in Grand Smash without financial penalty."

The fines are greater for those with higher rankings with top 10 players having to pay $5,000 for each appearance trangression.

WTT issued a response on Saturday, saying that the rules regarding fines were not new and that they have "been in place since WTT's inception four years ago".

It continued, "The intent of these rules is to ensure that top-tier players are represented at key WTT events, preserving the integrity of global competition and delivering the highest quality events for players, fans, and all partners.

"We recognise the immense contributions of Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng to the sport and wish them best of luck and will continue to welcome them, as well as all players, to return to WTT events should they wish to in the future."