Liu Guoliang receives an interview on Sept 27, 2018. (Photo/Xinhua)
After a prolonged absence from the national spotlight, table tennis legend Liu Guoliang is making a triumphant return.
Liu, the world's most decorated table tennis coach, on Thursday was named head of a preparatory group for the general election of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and will helm the association during the transitional period.
"To make sure preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are well on track, the association will deepen the reform to transform into a fully fledged nongovernmental organization, thus pulling together a preparatory group to guarantee a smooth transition," said the statement.
After guiding China's all-conquering men's squad and then the entire national program since 2003, Liu was removed from his head coach position in June 2017 amid speculation over his involvement in then women's coach Kong Linghui's discipline violation over a gambling debt.
Kong was also Liu's former doubles partner.
The 42-year-old Liu, a double gold medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, was later named the 19th vice-president of the CTTA in an adjustment interpreted by the General Administration of Sport of China as a move to decentralize decision-making powers and streamline team management.
Without Liu, the decline of Team China, underlined by a gold-less effort by the men's squad at the 2017 World Cup, stirred hot debate.
Liu's latest appointment was greeted with excitement on Chinese social media, with fans applauding his return in anticipation of leading the nation's table tennis drive with the same diligence and fervor as Yao Ming with the Chinese Basketball Association.
On Thursday afternoon, Liu posted a message on his Weibo account, stating: "To stay with the national team until the battle in Tokyo - 666 days to go."
The CTTA's general election for new leadership is a result of former chairman Cai Zhenhua's departure from the sports sector earlier this month to reportedly join the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.
Liu's involvement in the election group is considered a signal of a possible future role as head of the CTTA. Yao followed a similar course before being elected chairman of the CBA in February 2017.
Under China's traditional State-run sports system, the the nation's sports ministry (GASC) assigned government officials to run various associations, even though some appointees had no related background in their assigned fields.
Since Gou Zhongwen took office as Sports Minister in 2016, several significant management reforms have been initiated, including Yao's stewardship of the CBA, the appointment of Olympic champion coach Lang Ping as vice president of the Chinese Volleyball Association, and short-track speed skating national coach Li Yan's role as chairwoman of the Chinese Skating Association.
