by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Ma Long won in 2012 when the tournament was staged in the English port city of Liverpool, before succeeding once again last year in Halmstad, Sweden.

However, he may not have the happiest memories of competing when the tournament was last held in Germany; in 2014 in Düsseldorf he was beaten in the final by Zhang Jike.

Vladimir Samsonov

Success for Ma Long one year ago, in 2013 it was success for Xu Xin when the tournament was held in the Belgian city of Liège; on that occasion he accounted for Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus, a player who made his debut in Nîmes, France 20 years ago, in 1996 finishing in third place.

In fact one year earlier in 1995, also in Nîmes, Vladimir Samsonov was present but there was no space to play; he was the reserve in case of absentees.

Notably, one year after his debut, also in Nîmes, the end result for Vladimir Samsonov was again third place, before in 1999 he won in Xiaolan, China. Later he succeeded in the Italian city of Courmayeur in 2001 and in the Russian capital city of Moscow in 2009.

Success for Vladimir Samsonov in Russia, a win of significance; ever since that date, the event has always been won by a player from the People’s Republic of China.

Third Time in Germany

Additional to recent years, in Magdeburg in 2010, the first time that the tournament was staged in Germany, Wang Hao emerged successful beating Zhang Jike in the final, before the decision was reversed one year later in Paris.

Download Invitation List, Prospectus & Forms

Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Prospectus including detailed information
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Invitation List
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Confirmation Form
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Full Schedule
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Qualification and Playing System
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Travel and Accommodation Form
Liebherr 2016 Men’s World Cup: Travel and Accommodation Form for Five Time Zones