As they say, when the cat is away, the mice will play. In the table tennis world, the part of the proverbial cat is played by China, which in turn is represented by the panda. For 60 years, China has utterly dominated the sport, meaning any chance to compete in their absence is an opportunity not to be missed. One such opportunity has just emerged in Doha, Qatar, home of the World Table Tennis (WTT) Middle East Hub. With qualifying draws starting tomorrow, the Hub represents the first International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) event of 2021. The first event, the WTT Contender, runs February 28-March 6 and offers $200,000 in prize money. This is followed immediately by the WTT Star Contender, another weeklong bonanza with double the purse. Each event also offers an irresistible buffet of world ranking points. Now comes news that the Middle East Hub star power has been dimmed by the withdrawal of China. Qin Zhijian, the Secretary General of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), pointed to concerns over player safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "We will not be able to send table tennis players to play outside of China until the Olympic Games due to the ongoing pandemic situation worldwide," announced Qin. "We have been putting in full effort to make it happen because we truly wish to participate in and show support to the first ever WTT event, but now sadly we need to cancel our participation to WTT Middle East Hub." China's world #2 Sun Yingsha was the top seed in the women's singles. Her absence bumps world #3 Mima Ito of Japan (pictured, right) to the top spot. The USA's Lily Zhang is the lone American at the event, the world #30 seeded ninth in the women's draw. Meanwhile, over in the gentlemen's quarters, China's world #2 Xu Xin was the presumptive favorite before the announcement. Now, Ito's young countryman Tomokazu Harimoto (pictured, left), world #5, headlines the men's draw. With the Olympics on the horizon this summer, the opportunity to compete with top international players (coupled with the generous prize money and ranking points) proved irresistible for a host of hopefuls. The absence of China will no doubt make their hearts grow fonder as well. After all, when the panda is away, the mice will play.

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