We love them so much: Chinese table tennis craze takes over the Asian Games

NAGOYA – The Chinese have invaded the Sky Hall Toyota, and it is not only the table tennis players who are ruling court.

Three hours before the main event of the day – an all-China showdown in the Asian Games men’s singles final between world No.1 Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong on Sept 28 – the fanfare has already begun.

The skies open up just after 5.30pm but more than 50 female fans are lining up near the entrance. In the earlier days of the competition, hundreds have stood in queues outside.

Many are armed with DSLR cameras, ready to get a shot of Wang over 50m away.

Shortly before 7pm, he finally appears and pandemonium ensues.

Jostling for a better view as they scream in excitement, the supporters shout: “Wang Chuqin, qing zhao gu hao zi ji” (please take care of yourself) and the familiar, “Wang Chuqin, jiayou!”

Some take the opportunity to confess their feelings, bellowing “Wo ai ni (I love you)”.

Hailing from China, many of these fans are a regular presence at table tennis competitions around the world.

A 25-year-old woman who only wanted to be known as Huang S T has flown in from Jiangsu, forking out about 20,000 renminbi (S$3,800) for a week-long stay.

A big fan of Wang and Sun Yingsha – who won a silver medal in the women’s singles on Sept 27 after losing to compatriot Wang Manyu in the final – Huang says she has also travelled to Singapore, Qatar and London to cheer them on.

“These are top players, with world-class abilities, and they are the main players for China,” says Huang.

“I try to follow them to give my support wherever they compete. They have amazing mental strength and they inspire me.”

On how she has found the Games thus far, Huang says: “The schedule is a bit tight. And the accommodation for the athletes, is a little bit too far. So in terms of chasing them from following them from hotel to the competition venue, it’s quite a distance. I just want to take a video of them and photos of them.”

New to this superstar hunt is 25-year-old Zhao Xiyu from Chengdu.

She tells The Straits Times: “This is in Asia and Japan is relatively near so it was easier to come to this competition. I am not surprised by the number of people who have come here for them. This is normal. Back in China, there are thousands and thousands of people who do this when there are matches.”

The display of adulation is reserved for China’s top table tennis players in a country where the sport is not merely a game, but a source of immense national pride. A 2024 China Daily report said players like Wang, Fan Zhendong and Sun have gained fervent fan followings “thanks to their athletic prowess, good looks, and appealing personalities”, though it noted that “this intense attention has also led to increasing disruptions and public scrutiny”.

Back in the Sky Hall Toyota, China’s Kuai Man and Wang Manyu warm up the crowd with a 4-0 win over Japan’s Miwa Harimoto and Hina Hayata to claim the women’s doubles title.

But the highlight of the evening is Wang, as loud cheers and applause erupt when he is introduced ahead of the men’s singles final – Lin, in contrast, gets a smattering of support.

But Wang does not follow the script, losing 4-0 to his teammate even as the crowd prays and urges him on feverishly. If a miracle is to be witnessed, it appears to be unfolding in the venue’s wheelchair accessible seats, which offer elevated spots to watch the action.

Several supporters seated in wheelchairs appear to be moving with ease, with one spotted rising from the mobility device, walking a few metres and kneeling to take a photo of Wang. On another occasion, two fans take turns in a wheelchair when making toilet trips so that the coveted spot remains occupied.

While several people in the wheelchair-accessible areas decline to be interviewed, Anna Wu, a 30-year-old from Beijing, says she needs to use a wheelchair as she had recently suffered a minor leg fracture.

Wu says she travels to support the Chinese players because she has huge pride and love for her country. Since arriving in Japan, she has watched the swimmers in Tokyo before making her way to Nagoya, a 100-min journey via high-speed train.

Singing with gusto as the national anthem blares in the packed 6,500-seat arena, the supporters quickly leap into action as the medal ceremony wraps up. Outside the venue, there is a frantic dash for photo spots to capture Wang.

“We love them so much. We have more than thousands of photos of them,” says Wu.

A picture-perfect end, for Wang’s fans, to the final day of the table tennis action.