[Archive] Cai Zhenhua: “The national team is the dragon’s head. The provincial teams must become the dragon’s body.”

A charismatic leader on the world stage

The man called “Cai Zhenhua”

[As of 2003, General Team Director of the Chinese Team and Vice President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association]

His brilliant achievements as a player and the leadership that revived China’s prestige as a coach.
Cai Zhenhua is highly regarded as a charismatic leader both in China and around the world. A Chinese society and a surrounding environment for players undergoing dramatic change.
In the midst of that, he grasped player psychology and social conditions, and drove reforms to the system of Chinese table tennis. We explore the “philosophy of Cai Zhenhua” as a leader. <2003 interview>
Interpreter ● Hiroyuki Takabayashi

Cai Zhenhua

Born September 3, 1961, in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He represented China with distinction at the World Championships from 1981 to 1985. After retiring as a player, he studied coaching in Italy, then returned home and served as coach of the Chinese national team before becoming head coach. From 1997, he served as General Team Director, and from 2000, he became Vice President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, while also serving as Deputy Director of the Table Tennis and Badminton Management Center of the General Administration of Sport and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Youth Association.

After this interview, he went on to serve as President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, and later also held the posts of President of the Chinese Badminton Association and President of the Chinese Football Association

As a coach, the only and ultimate goal is to beat the opponent. But from the standpoint of managing the sport of table tennis, it is not just a matter of winning

●—Mr. Cai Zhenhua, you are currently the General Team Director of both the men’s and women’s Chinese teams on the front line, while also serving as vice president of the association and holding a political position within the General Administration of Sport.

Cai Zhenhua　When I became vice president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association in September 2000, I also spoke to the Chinese media. As a coach, the only and ultimate goal is to beat the opponent. To do that, you develop tactics and think only about defeating the opponent. But as a government official, from the standpoint of managing the sport of table tennis, it is not enough to simply win. If we win too much, the number of people playing table tennis will decline. Getting more people to feel the appeal of table tennis and encouraging more people to take part is another major goal.

●—How will “Cai Zhenhua as General Team Director” and “Cai Zhenhua as an official” coexist in your life from here on?

Cai Zhenhua　The roles of government official and coach contain many contradictions. Recently, I have been working and living amid those contradictions. As a government official, my goal is to get more people to like table tennis and expand the table tennis market further. Naturally, as a coach, I have to win. It is difficult, but in these entirely different fields, I have to overcome those challenges.

　To get the general public to like table tennis, we also have to consider the influence of television and advertising. In the 1960s and 1970s, matches were truly competition-oriented, but now that a club system has been established and a professional league exists, the major challenge overall is how to promote table tennis through television and the media.

　Table tennis is called the “national ball” in China. As a national sport, it has a strong emotional appeal among the general public, and its status in the world of sports is very high. How do we make effective use of that and expand it? It is important for top local officials and local table tennis associations to promote table tennis going forward. We want to increase the number of enthusiasts within China as well, and looking at the bigger picture, we have to raise the status of table tennis around the world as much as possible.

　Recently China’s economic strength has also been rising, and things are quite different from 10 years ago. The foundation of all sports is closely tied to the economy, and with a solid economic base, we can do far, far more. China is now able to do that.

　China must think more about making a global contribution. To that end, for example, we want to expand international junior exchanges, establish junior training centers for that purpose, and spread coaching courses, education, and exchanges around the world, centered on China. China has many experts engaged in table tennis, and it can carry out scientific analysis and has political support as well, so I want China to serve as a hub and expand out into the world. Working in step with the International Table Tennis Federation, I want the Chinese Table Tennis Association to contribute more, and I myself want to contribute to such efforts as well.

　From a leader’s standpoint, if there is nothing new, you will lose. And if you lose, it is not interesting as a leader. So you go after victory. Toward the goal of winning, while using the table tennis research institute, we have to make use of scientific analysis and our accumulated experience to create new things and keep winning.