When Table Tennis Reports Are All 'N/A': A Wake-Up Call for Vietnamese Sports Data

Not long ago, I received a sports analysis report via email. The title was quite impressive: 'A Comprehensive Assessment of the National Table Tennis Team.' But when I opened the PDF, I saw nothing but a series of 'N/A' characters repeated from beginning to end. No data, no comments, no recommendations. At first glance, one might laugh and think it was a joke. But to me, it was a mirror reflecting the sports data infrastructure of our country. Throughout 27 years of observing the sports industry, from my early days writing game summaries to hosting the basketball podcast 'DataCourt,' I have always believed that every sports decision must be based on data. As the saying goes: 'Data does not lie, but the story behind it is the truth.' However, the story behind a report full of 'N/A' is precisely the absence of an information collection system. Table tennis, a sport I have personally followed for years, is facing a paradox. Vietnam has promising young talents but severely lacks match data and player movement data. A tactical analysis can only make sense if it is built on numbers such as points, speed, spin, or range of motion. When you have nothing in hand, there is nothing to do but write 'insufficient information.' An empty report is not an individual failure; it exposes a weak foundation. Consider what I have witnessed in many domestic tournaments: cameras are not placed at the right angles, electronic scoreboards are only for spectators and are not stored, and coaches still write notes in paper notebooks. Without data, a player may perform well but still disappear from selection lists. Even larger clubs lack professional analysis departments. Meanwhile, world sports have already entered the era of big data: racket sensors, motion tracking systems, and instant tactical analysis software. This gap is widening. In 2026, when I predicted the German national team would be eliminated in the group stage of the World Cup, many thought I was crazy. They only looked at the 'defending champion' label. But I used pressing data and transition speed, which showed a machine slowing down. In Vietnam, do we have that much data for table tennis? The answer is no. So when an empty report appears, I am not surprised. Some may view 'N/A' as laziness. But I see honesty. In a poor data environment, saying 'I do not know' is better than fabricating numbers. I once kept a draft for five weeks just to re-check an injury prediction model. This perfectionism may have made me overdue, but it ensured what I published was accurate. Similarly, a report full of 'N/A' is an analyst saying: 'Give me data first, and I will give you an answer.' That is a legitimate request. But it also reveals a huge challenge for Vietnamese sports. If we want to develop table tennis, we need to invest not only in facilities but also in data collection. I propose a national information management system where every match, every practice session, and every serve is digitized. Only then can analysts like me use our intelligence to find what Vietnamese table tennis needs to improve. Imagine a world where analysis reports are no longer empty boxes of 'N/A.' Where coaches can see spin charts of a player's racket and compare winning percentages in backhand rallies over the years. Where scouts can discover a young talent from numbers rather than by intuition. That is the future Vietnamese table tennis deserves. An empty report is not a full stop. It is a starting signal. In music, silence is part of the composition; in sports, the void of data is a challenge for us to fill. Great machines do not break overnight; they crack after many silent seasons. Vietnam has overcome many limits. I believe that if we start by recording each stroke, we will no longer face meaningless analyses. A revolution always begins with a forgotten number. Let the first number of Vietnamese table tennis be recorded today. Then 'N/A' reports will only be a relic of the past, and we will move toward a future where every ball carries the story of truth.