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Table Tennis Star Promotes German-Chinese Business Contacts

23/06/09June 23, 2009

At first glance, table tennis and the economy seem to have little in common. But if you look a little closer, they can make great partners. Germany’s Timo Boll is one of the world’s best table tennis players. He is also well-known in China. He has now become a special envoy to China for economic affairs, and is using his celebrity status to lure Chinese investors to North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Germany's Timo Boll is the world's number three in table tennis
Germany's Timo Boll is the world's number three in table tennisImage: AP

Timo Boll is a very busy person. Ranked number three in the world, the table tennis champion has a tight training schedule. Apart from all the tournaments and competitions, he also has to attend sponsoring events.

And as if he didn’t have enough to do, Timo Boll is now also trying to boost the attractiveness of North Rhine-Westphalia as a business hub. The star athlete is a perfect advertisement for Germany’s most populous state.

Earlier this year, the state’s economy minister, Christa Thoben, went to China with a business delegation. And Timo Boll. He met economics students from Beijing University and discussed concepts such as fair play and success. He also demonstrated some of his skills.

"I played some table tennis with some business students," Boll says. "They might be the top managers of the future, leading big corporations. And later might be interested in investing their money in Germany, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia. This might have been the right step but it was especially a lot of fun -- for me and the students."

Attracting investors

At the beginning of 2009, North Rhine-Westphalia launched a campaign to attract more investment. The slogan -- "Wir lieben das Neue" or "We love new" -- is directed at China. There are currently some 600 Chinese investors doing business in the state and the government is eager to deepen economic ties. Last year, the volume of Sino-German trade reached 21 billion euros.

For Timo Boll, his new job is an opportunity to get a glimpse behind the scenes. And to learn something new. Maybe it will come in handy in future, he says. "I have to adapt to the new tasks and I have to learn. But I am willing to learn. I am 28 years old and much more open to other things. You cannot be a sports athlete forever. Therefore, it’s good to get a taste of the business world."

China experience

Timo Boll is well qualified for working in China. He became a superstar, playing table tennis in China’s elite league for six months. "I think that I am, in a way, predestined for this kind of job. I love visiting China, I like the country very much and I like the people. I think I can be a very good link between China and Germany because I have experience with China. I know the country and its people just like Germany. Maybe I will benefit from it in the future."

But sport still has top priority in Timo Boll’s life. Whether he joins the next business delegation travelling to China in October will depend on his table tennis schedule. However, he hopes he can combine business with sport and is happy that he can work with both sides -- China and Germany.

Author: Chi Viet Giang
Editor: Anne Thomas