An unusual pairing has been announced in the preparatory period for the International Table Tennis Federation's (ITTF) World Championship event, which is scheduled to occur from April 26 to May 3 in Suzhou, China, as Ma Long's double's partner will be Germany's Timo Boll.
The decision was facilitated by the the regulations of last year's world table tennis competition, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, when the ITTF said that it would permit players from different associations to form doubles partnerships for this year's tournament.
The announcement is by no means controversial, but its atypical nature was recognized by ITTF President Thomas Weikert in the sports media.
The federation head called the pairing "unique," explaining that it was unprecedented, "not only for German Table Tennis Association, but also the entire German sports family."
However, Weikert also expressed his commendation of the doubles team formation:
"Such a partnership can stimulate the sport, and beyond the competition, it can strengthen relationship between two associations."
The Chinese player's history with Boll is well known, as they won against a similar team, composed of players from different associations, two years ago. The German and Ma defeated Yan An and Dimitrij Ovtcharov to walk away with the 2013 China Open doubles trophy. Boll told reporters that it is "an honor" to partner with the Chinese champion for the world championships in Suzhou.
Ma is not a stranger to the spotlight, as he entered the history books in mid-February after he won the ITTF World Tour Kuwait Open to become the first-ever player to win two titles. He first won the title in 2007.
Prior to Kuwait, Ma was a member of the national team that won the world championship trophy in Tokyo last year.