Grand Slam champion-turned coach Liu Guoliang was elected as the new president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) on December 1. The 42-year-old was unanimously elected along with five vice presidents.

"My priority as CTTA president will be preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the restructuring of the management to promote the sport's professionalism, industrialization and globalization," said Liu.

The winner of the men's singles and doubles gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, Liu was appointed to coach the Chinese national men's team in 2003 and became head coach of the national team in 2013. In June 2017, he became a CTTA vice president.

Under Liu's reign, China, which has won 28 out of the 32 gold medals awarded since table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988, extended its dominance for a decade by taking all 12 gold medals at the last three Olympics.