"If there's no tissue, go get it!" Chinese table tennis player faces character controversy after injury treatment → Frustrated after losses to South Korea and Sweden

*This content was translated by AI.

The Chinese men's Tak Gu (CEO) team, rated as the "world's strongest," suffered a humiliating consecutive loss at the 2026 London World Championships after falling to South Korea and Sweden in succession. Meanwhile, Wang Chuqin (26), China's ace and captain, came under scrutiny for his conduct during the match.

The incident occurred on the 3rd (Korea time) at the OVO Arena Wembley in London, UK, during the third group stage match of the men's team event at the "2026 London World Table Tennis Championships" against Sweden. Having suffered a shocking 1-3 defeat to South Korea in the previous second match, China put Wang Chuqin forward to restore its pride.

According to multiple Chinese media outlets, including Sina Sports, Wang Chuqin injured his left hand, causing it to bleed, when he struck his finger against the corner of the table during the second match against Anton Kallberg (29, Sweden). Wang Chuqin immediately requested a medical timeout from the referee and received first aid from the team trainer who entered the court to stop the bleeding.

However, a problem arose here. When the trainer briefly left to gather necessary supplies after checking the wound, Wang Chuqin suddenly raised his voice toward his teammates and staff, shouting "If there's no tissue, go get it".

At the time, fellow Chinese players were seated on the bench, but they could not contain their anger at what appeared to be a passive observation of the situation. Eventually, a teammate quickly fetched and delivered the tissue, bringing the commotion to a temporary end. Wang Chuqin then resumed the match with his finger bandaged and secured a decisive 3-0 victory.

However, the captain's efforts could not prevent China's defeat. Aside from the points earned by Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong and Liang Jingkun collapsed in succession, leading to a 2-3 comeback loss against Sweden. China finished the group stage in third place.

Earlier, on the 3rd, China suffered its first defeat in 31 years against South Korea, breaking its 26-year unbeaten record at the World Championships. On this day, being defeated by Sweden as well, China faced the unprecedented humiliation of "two consecutive group stage losses" and "advancing to the main draw in third place" in the tournament's history. As a result, Sweden (1st), South Korea (2nd), and China (3rd) advanced to the Round of 32, excluding England, which finished at the bottom of the group. South Korea will face Slovakia, while China will play against Australia in the Round of 32. If both South Korea and China continue to win in the tournament, they will meet again in the quarterfinals. The Chinese Nam Ja (CEO) team is the defending champion, having also won the title at the 2024 tournament held in Busan.

However, Wang Chuqin's behavior has drawn strong criticism locally, including from Chinese media such as Sina Sports. Particularly, in a situation where the team was on a losing streak and emotions were running high, his irritable reactions toward staff and teammates were criticized for "damaging the team atmosphere." With a historic defeat and a "character controversy" now emerging, it remains to be seen how the Chinese men's table tennis team will overcome this crisis in the current tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.