Table Tennis Champion Ma Long Loses Voice After Singing at JJ Lin Concert

On June 29, 2025, Chinese table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long attended a concert by singer JJ Lin at the Beijing National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, alongside his wife, Xia Lu. This event marked the third show of Lin's "JJ20 FINAL LAP World Tour." Ma Long, dressed in casual attire and a transparent raincoat, maintained a low profile but was deeply engaged in the concert. As Lin performed classic hits like "If Only" and "Jiangnan," Ma Long enthusiastically sang along, which resulted in him losing his voice by the end of the event.

In a humorous post on Weibo later, Ma Long acknowledged his hoarse voice, referencing a similar experience from attending Lin's concert in 2018. During the concert, JJ Lin acknowledged Ma Long's presence and jokingly quipped about the number of Olympic athletes in attendance, eliciting cheers from the audience. Ma Long, who has previously attended Lin's concerts and expressed a fondness for songs like "If Only" and "A Thousand Years Later," was joined by other table tennis stars like Lin Gaoyuan and Li Junhui, creating a camaraderie among Olympic athletes at the event.

Despite inclement weather, which included rain, the concert proceeded with remarkable enthusiasm, showcasing advanced 3D stage effects and live piano renditions. This incident quickly became a trending topic on social media, garnering millions of views. Fans joked that Ma Long should carry throat lozenges and emphasized the cross-industry interaction between sports and entertainment, highlighting Ma Long’s genuine admiration for JJ Lin's music, thus bridging fans from both spheres. The evening not only showcased Ma Long's lighter side outside his sports persona but also strengthened the narrative of sports celebrities engaging with cultural events, a phenomenon noted as an entertaining intersection of contemporary celebrity culture.