A consistent first name on the team sheet for Chinese Taipei for almost two decades, Chuang Chih Yuan’s decision to leave the national association has sent shockwaves around the Asian fanbases.

In a statement translated from his social media, the 38-year-old said:

“Thanks everyone. The reason why I deleted the article is because it spreads wider. I am a table tennis player so I want to calm down and let it stop. But if I could choose again, I would still try to play at the Paraguay Open and singles event at the Asian Championships. It will be very helpful for team and singles seeding in Tokyo 2020 if I get good results at these two events. Some people have accused me of being selfish to only play singles at the Asian Championships and they say I should not play any event if I insist on playing only singles. Okay then I make my statement here: I will not play either the Paraguay Open or Asian Championships. This means that it will be more difficult for me to gain more points, so I will not play at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games either. I will not represent Chinese Taipei anymore at future international events. Table tennis is my interest, so I still want to attend the events without affecting entries of other players and without using the association’s budget for Olympic Games preparations. Sorry for all the trouble caused and thanks again for the understanding. I hope the environment for table tennis players can get better!”

Does this news truly signal the end of the road for Chuang Chih Yuan and Team Chinese Taipei or will come to an agreement? Tell us what you think in our social media comments.