(ECNS) -- Chinese table tennis star Fan Zhendong will join Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), the United States' first professional table tennis league, as a strategic investor, the league announced Wednesday.
The MLTT announced the move on Instagram, saying, "BREAKING: Welcome to MLTT, Fan Zhendong! The reigning Olympic gold medalist is joining America's first professional table tennis league as a strategic investor."
Established in 2023, the MLTT is a purely commercial league. While not affiliated with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) system, it permits players to concurrently participate in other competitions.
In addition to his new role with MLTT, Fan recently signed with German club Saarbrücken to compete in the upcoming season of the German Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL). The club described the signing as "spectacular," saying it "is causing a stir" in the league.
Fan, a former world No. 1 and one of the sport's biggest stars, expressed excitement about the new challenges ahead. "I'm really looking forward to the new challenges in Saarbrucken and in the TTBL," Fan said on the club's website. "I'm really excited to be part of this club, get to know a new environment - and celebrate many successes together with the team."
Fan clinched both the men's singles and team gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the 11th player in history to achieve a career Grand Slam of Olympic Games, World Championships, and World Cup.
(By Zhang Dongfang)
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