Olympic vice-champion from Paris in conflict with the Association! Will he not play in the European Championship?

Truls Moregardh, two-time Olympic vice-champion in Paris in table tennis, may not play in this year's European Championships in Zadar. The Swedish star is in a bitter conflict with the national Association.

The 23-year-old was one of the biggest Swedish stars of the Olympic tournament in the capital of France. Moregardh won two silver medals - in singles (he lost to the Chinese Fan Zhendong in the grand final) and in the team (the Swedes lost to the Chinese in the fight for gold).

The sportsman from Lessebo was a sure candidate for the podium also at the upcoming European Championships in Zadar, Croatia. However, it is possible that Moregardh... will not participate at all! All because of the player's conflict with the Swedish Table Tennis Association.

The conflict was sparked by the demand of the Olympic vice-champion from Paris to be assisted during this year's event by Malte Moregardh, his brother, who is the 23-year-old's personal trainer. The association responded that during championship events, athletes are looked after by trainers appointed by the national federation - in this case Jorgen Persson.

"We would like to point out that all the medals of the Swedish national team from the most important events in recent years, including those of Truls Moregardh, were won with the great support of coaches appointed by the Association. Former captain of the national team Jorgen Persson spent hundreds of days with Truls to prepare him as best as he could for the key competitions," the Association replied in a special statement sent to the media.

Another controversial issue is... advertising space on the national team jerseys. Until now, the Association allowed players to benefit financially from placing personal sponsors on their jerseys. That all changed at the beginning of 2024. In January, the Swedish Federation gave the players updated contracts to sign, under which the Association would regain full rights to all advertising space on the national team kits. According to the daily "Aftonbladet", only Moregardh, among the national team players, refused to sign the contract.

"Despite numerous reminders, the document was not signed, which means that Truls Moregardh's appearance at the upcoming European Championships is in question. If we do not receive confirmation from the player in the near future that he agrees to the new conditions, we will consider this as reluctance to represent the national colours," the Association informed.

23-year-old Truls Moregardh is currently one of the biggest stars of European table tennis. In addition to two silver medals from the Olympic Games in Paris, he has won silver and bronze at the World Championships, silver at the European Games Krakow 2023, and gold, silver and three bronze medals at the European Championships.