CPC 101: They Are Also CPC Members - Ma Long, Captain of Men’s National Table Tennis Team in China

Known as the “Dream Team”, the Chinese national table tennis team has won the most championships of any Chinese national sports team. It was also a major participant in the “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” between China and the United States, leaving behind the legend of “the little ball moves the big ball”.

Unlike most professional sports teams, a large number of world champions in China’s national table tennis team, from coaches to athletes, have another identity – members of the Communist Party of China. As captain of the men’s team, Ma Long is one of them.

As the first male player to complete a “Super Grand Slam” in the history of table tennis, Ma Long has won the championships of the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cup, Asian Games, Asian Championships, Asian Cup, ITTF World Tour Grand Finals and China National Games. After recently winning his 25th championship at the Tokyo Olympics, Ma talked about how his membership in the Party had inspired and encouraged him: “Fearlessness and courage in the face of difficulties are the underlying spirit of mine as an athlete; and competing for my country and my nation is the original aspiration I keep firmly in mind as a Party member.”