It has been a busy week in Doha. On Saturday, the Qatari capital concluded hosting the WTT Star Condender. They will barely have time to sweep up the confetti before the 2021 ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships commence tomorrow. At the 2019 Asian Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, China won literally everything. Sun Yingsha (pictured) claimed the women's singles continental crown, while Xu Xin won the gentlemanly counterpart. Throw in every doubles and teams event, and China etched its name on all seven trophies. That, of course, was in the innocent days before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, China has greatly limited its international presence, preferring to train domestically rather than assume the risks of travel. They can, however, be persuaded to make exceptions for Grand Slam events such as this summer's Olympics. Now comes the announcement from the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) that no titles will be defended this week. Already exhausted from the China National Games which concluded yesterday, China's players would in reality see a decline in the overall quality of competition by playing other countries. As CTTA Secretary-General and men's team coach Qin Zhijian explained, the risks and rigors of travel exceeded the probable rewards. "There is much risk in international travel during the pandemic, and all participants will have to undergo quarantine after the Asian Championships, which will affect our plan for the upcoming tournaments, especially the World Championships," said Qin. "It will not benefit our young players’ development, and both men’s and women’s coaching groups have made decision to withdraw from the Asian Championships for the overall benefit of the team." While China rests up for the World Championships this November in Houston, Doha will remain busy filling seven job vacancies.

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