Recent reports from Chinese media have revealed that the North Korean team, which won a silver medal in mixed doubles table tennis, received assistance from China.
China Inter Information Center recently reported that Wu Pei, a Chinese referee who served as the deputy referee for the table tennis events at the Paris Olympics, helped the North Korean team avoid disqualification for a rule violation before their match.
Wu said, “While inspecting the North Korean team’s rackets before the match, I noticed several Butterfly brand logos printed on the side of their racket bags. This violated International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) regulations, so I informed the North Korean team,” adding, “The North Korean players were quite anxious and flustered, as they hadn’t competed in international tournaments for a long time and were unfamiliar with the rules.”
He continued, “Regulations state that only one logo should be visible on the racket bag. I advised them to cover all but one logo with a black marker, which helped them avoid potential disqualification.”
The “butterfly” logo Wu mentioned is a well-known trademark of the Japanese table tennis manufacturer Butterfly. This premium brand, which uses carefully selected cypress wood from Japan’s Gifu Prefecture, is favored by the elite in Pyongyang. The logo, featuring two oval shapes resembling butterfly wings, was seen on the racket of North Korean player Kim Kum Yong during the Paris Olympics.
However, whether the North Korean team purchased these products directly from overseas or received them as sponsorship remains unclear.
Hebei Kangshengyuan Sports Goods Co., Ltd., a Chinese sports equipment company known for sponsoring North Korean table tennis, reportedly gifted limited-edition high-end rackets (model PRK-510) to North Korean players Ri Jeong Sik and Byeon Song Gyeong before the Olympics.
However, the players did not use these rackets due to regulations prohibiting equipment changes just before the Olympics. Instead, Ri Jeong Sik used a racket from the Chinese brand Hongshuangxi (DHC), model W968, which features a portrait of Chinese table tennis star Ma Long.
According to the company’s official sales site on August 22, the PRK-520X model, noted for its durability and tailored to the playing style of North Korean players, is set to be used in training after the Paris Olympics.
The brand’s website also features rackets engraved with the names of North Korean table tennis players Cha Su Young, Choi Hyun Hwa, Jeon Gyeong Mi, and Ahn Ji Sung, who competed in last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games. These rackets are available on a Chinese online shopping site partnered with the company.
This situation highlights a notable contrast to the generally strained relations between North Korea and China. Despite this year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, there have been minimal political or diplomatic exchanges. The timing of these reports, emerging well after the Olympics, might be strategic as both countries prepare for a significant event to commemorate their diplomatic ties on October 6.
