Chinese with sportsmanship?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWWRlBLCv8M

Check out the end of the video! Wang Hao actually makes EYE contact, which is a shocker. Not only that, he SMILES at Timo, which was another shocker. The biggest shocker of all he PATS TIMO ON THE BACK! WTFOODGE IS GOING ON?!

Maybe Wang wants to migrate to Europe so better to be friendly with Timo.

Wang Hao is a good sport. So is Timo, so its easy for them to be friendly after a match. They both play like they are lucky to make a living as pro TT players, win or lose.

On the other hand, I think any bitter rivals will have a hard time showing good sportsmanship right after a tough loss, regardless of the nationality. So its hard to just say the Chinese have bad sportsmanship.

(Although Zhang Jike and Ma Lin are the only top pro's I've seen who put their hand up and back away right when their opponent is serving at certain times... And not because they are not ready to recieve serve, but instead they use it as an underhanded tatic to interrupt their opponents rhythm.)

icontek wrote: Qtjoel wrote: Froz3nheaven wrote: wth man. why is that so shocking. Well, I'm Chinese myself but we all know that whenever a Chinese player wins it's almost seems like it's agonizing to shake the person's hand. They never make eye contact, look at the floor and just tap hands with the person. THAT'S why it's shocking! I'm not sure if what you're observing isn't the the result of cultural differences. In many African and Southeast Asian countries, it is actually disrespectful to make eye contact during an interaction. Head down is actually a sign of respect.Granted, I don't know enough about Chinese culture to have a clear idea of what's going on, but I just wanted to point out that not all nonverbal (body language) communication is universal.

+1. That is what I was told too.

These players know each other well. Many of them play in same clubs in Europe.

Qtjoel wrote: Froz3nheaven wrote: wth man. why is that so shocking. Well, I'm Chinese myself but we all know that whenever a Chinese player wins it's almost seems like it's agonizing to shake the person's hand. They never make eye contact, look at the floor and just tap hands with the person. THAT'S why it's shocking!

LOOPMEISTER wrote: Wang Hao is a good sport. So is Timo, so its easy for them to be friendly after a match. They both play like they are lucky to make a living as pro TT players, win or lose. On the other hand, I think any bitter rivals will have a hard time showing good sportsmanship right after a tough loss, regardless of the nationality. So its hard to just say the Chinese have bad sportsmanship. (Although Zhang Jike and Ma Lin are the only top pro's I've seen who put their hand up and back away right when their opponent is serving at certain times... And not because they are not ready to recieve serve, but instead they use it as an underhanded tatic to interrupt their opponents rhythm.)

regarding the handshake, culture makes a big difference. Being white myself, Ive been raised, and I personally believe in a full firm handshake. I HATE wimpy little handshakes. SHAKE MY HAND, cuz i'm sure as heck shakin yours.

LOOPMEISTER wrote: (Although Zhang Jike and Ma Lin are the only top pro's I've seen who put their hand up and back away right when their opponent is serving at certain times... And not because they are not ready to recieve serve, but instead they use it as an underhanded tatic to interrupt their opponents rhythm.)

I do that too sometimes.
 
Normally chinese people are very polite. There was a new player in my club who completely destroyed me. At the end he actually shook my hand and bowed his head!

It doesn't matter to me since it's just a way of saying 'good game, it's been fun'. I personally usually just tap hands if I have to play numerous games and switch tables at a faster pace than usual. If I'm overzealous or if it's practice, then I'd genuinely shake hands.