Liu Guoliang, president of China’s Table Tennis Association, cheers in a match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. He was elected as an executive vice president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Wednesday in Houston, U.S. Photo: VCG

Liu (second left) talks to athletes in a training match Monday in Houston in preparation for the 56th World Table Tennis Championships. Photo: Liu Guanguan/China News Service, VCG

Liu entered the national team in 1991, then won the 1999 World Table Tennis Championships, making him the first Chinese player to win all titles at major world tournaments. Photo: VCG

Liu (right) and Kong Linghui (left) congratulate each other after winning the men’s doubles semifinals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in Australia. Photo: IC Photo

Liu retired in 2002 after claiming over 45 championships and became the coach of China’s National Men’s Team in 2003. Photo: VCG

Liu guides Wang Hao, a noted table tennis player, during training in Shanghai in 2005. Photo: VCG

Liu leads players into a stadium in Yokohama, Japan for the 2009 World Table Tennis Championships. The team dominated the competition by winning all titles. Photo: VCG

Liu (second left) stands with the national team before the start of the World Table Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan in 2014. Photo: VCG

Liu (right) instructs Zhang Jike (left) during the final match of the Men's Team Championship of the 2015 ITTF Asian Table Tennis Championships in Pattaya, Thailand. The team achieved nine consecutive wins in the competition. Photo: VCG

Liu (right) kisses on the forehead of Ma Long (left) after he won the Men's Table Tennis gold medal match against Maharu Yoshimura of Japan at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The national team claimed all titles at the game. Photo: VCG

Liu cheers for Xu Xin during the Men's Team Gold medal match against Japan at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: VCG

Liu gives instructions to Liu Shiwen, a world-winning player, during a match of the 2017 World Table Tennis Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. In April 2017, Liu became the head coach of China’s national team. Photo: VCG

Wang Hao put a medal around Liu’s neck after the men’s national team claimed gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Photo: VCG

(From left) Zhang Jike, Wang Hao, and Ma Long celebrate with Liu during the medal ceremony for the Men's Team Table Tennis at the London 2012 Olympic Games. From 2003 to 2017, Liu led the national team to win over 30 world titles. Photo: VCG

Team China players and staff pose for a photograph after the medal ceremony of the Men's Team Table Tennis of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, in August 2021. Liu stopped coaching in June 2017 and became the president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association in 2018. Photo: VCG