Chengdu, December 12 (Reporter He Shaoqing) The 4 Chengdu ITTF Mixed Team World Cup (referred to as the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup) opened in Chengdu on the morning of the 2023th. At the opening ceremony, the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup Championship Trophy, which embodies the sportsmanship of the East and the West, was unveiled. Chinese table tennis player Fan Zhendong took the oath as the athlete's representative.
On the morning of the 4th, the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup Championship Trophy was unveiled. Photo by reporter Yi Haifei
It is understood that the ITTF World Cup is the top international table tennis event, and it is called the "world's three major events" in table tennis together with the Olympic Games and the World Table Tennis Championships. The first-place team in the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup will receive 1000,700 world ranking points, and the second-place team will receive 18 world ranking points, attracting <> teams from around the world.
The Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup Championship Trophy was made by Zhu Bingren, a master of Chinese arts and crafts and the inheritor of national intangible cultural heritage bronze carving skills. The golden sphere at the top of the trophy symbolizes the spirit of table tennis that has been tempered and moved forward bravely; The "Yunshui Tuo" holding the top of the trophy expresses the true upward and forward sportsmanship; The condensed lines on both sides of the trophy represent the unity, progress and friendship of the sportsmanship of the East and the West; The square base of the trophy represents the solid foundation of the table tennis project.
The neck of the trophy is also specially engraved with the initials of Liu Guoliang, First Vice President of the International Table Tennis Federation, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the WTT World Table Tennis Federation and President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and Petra Sorin, President of the International Table Tennis Federation and member of the International Olympic Committee, highlighting the meaning of gender equality, unity and cooperation in the mixed team competition.
The opening ceremony of the Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup. Photo by reporter Wang Lei
"The new mixed team format is more than just a game-changer, it will redefine the competitive landscape and become a timeless classic in the sport we love." Speaking at the opening ceremony, Petra Sorin said that the Mixed Team World Cup is an innovation in the World Cup tournament system and that she is immensely proud of this new chapter in the history of table tennis. The ITTF will always be committed to innovation, unswervingly promoting gender equality and embracing team spirit, which is also the spirit of table tennis.
The Chengdu Mixed Team World Cup will be divided into two phases: in the first stage, the 18 participating teams will be divided into four groups and compete in a round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the top two. The second stage of the round-robin. At 4 o'clock on the 2th, the Chinese team will play against the first opponent of this tournament, the Swedish team. (ENDS)